Development of information processing competencies of Hungarian adults between 2017/2018 and 2022/2023

Flash report on PIAAC results 2022/2023

Abstract

OECD published its latest report on the results of the Adult Competencies Survey on 10 December 2024[1]. The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assessed the transferable skills of 16-65 year olds in 2022/2023 – reading comprehension, numeracy, adaptive problem solving – that can be used in any professional environment and positively influence well-being and success at work and in everyday life. While in the 2017/2018 survey, Hungarian adults performed around the OECD average in reading comprehension and problem solving and above the OECD average in numeracy, in the 2022/2023 data collection cycle, working-age adults performed significantly below the OECD average in all three measured competence areas. Hungarian adults scored an average of 248 points in reading comprehension (OECD average: 260 points), 254 points in numeracy (OECD average: 263 points), and 241 points in adaptive problem solving (OECD average: 251 points). However, it is not this result in itself that is truly alarming, but the unfavourable trend that the proportion of adults with low reading comprehension skills increased from 18.6 percent in 2017/2018 to 32.5 percent in 2022/2023, and the proportion of adults with low numeracy skills increased from 17.8 percent to 28.8 percent (OECD, 2024). This article offers the first “flash report” of the PIAAC survey results for the Hungarian situation.   [1] OECD (2024). Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World?: Survey of Adult Skills 2023, OECD Skills Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b263dc5d.