OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers
This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected labour market, social policy and migration studies prepared for use within the OECD. Authorship is usually collective, but principal writers are named. The papers are generally available only in their original language - English or French - with a summary in the other.
- ISSN: 1815199X (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/1815199X
Skills at Work: How Skills and their Use Matter in the Labour Market
Human capital is key for economic growth. Not only is it linked to aggregate economic
performance but also to each individual’s labour market outcomes. However, a skilled population is not
enough to achieve high and inclusive growth, as skills need to be put into productive use at work. Thanks
to the availability of measures of both the proficiency and the use of numerous types of skills, the Survey
of Adult Skills offers a unique opportunity to advance knowledge in this area and this paper presents and
discusses evidence on both these dimensions with a particular focus on their implications for labour market
policy. This paper explores the role played in the labour market by skill proficiency in the areas of literacy,
numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments. It also shows how skills use, not only
proficiency, affects a number of key labour market phenomena, such as the gender wage gap. Finally, the
paper combines information on skill proficiency, educational attainment, skill use and qualification
requirements to construct indicators of qualification and skills mismatch and to explore their causes and
consequences.
JEL:
J21: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demand and Supply of Labor / Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure;
I25: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education and Economic Development;
J24: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demand and Supply of Labor / Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity;
J08: Labor and Demographic Economics / General / Labor Economics Policies;
J31: Labor and Demographic Economics / Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs / Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
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