Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC) - Young People Thematic Report - Research Report

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC) presents a thematic analysis of how skills among young people in England compare with 2012, using two survey cycles (Cycle 1 in 2012 and Cycle 2 in 2023). The report examines differences in young people’s characteristics, tracks skill changes by multiple characteristics, and analyzes factors linked to low skills for adults aged 16–24, including how these relationships evolved since 2012. It also includes regression results and supporting figures and tables on literacy and numeracy outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Introduction

What are the differences in characteristics between young people in 2012 and 2023?

How have skills changed by different characteristics?

What factors are associated with low skills for adults aged 16–24; and how have these changed since 2012?

How have skills changed for the birth cohort aged 16–24 in 2012?

Conclusion

References

Appendix A – Logistic regression results

Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC): Young people thematic report Research report March 2026 Authors: Rachel Classick, Lisa Kuhn, Juan Manuel del Pozo Segura, Jose Liht and Rebecca Wheater Contents List of figures 2 List of tables 4 Executive summary 5 Introduction 8 What are the differences in characteristics between young people in 2012 and 2023? 9 How have skills changed by different characteristics? 18 What factors are associated with low skills for adults aged 16–24; and how have these changed since 2012? 28 How have skills changed for the birth cohort aged 16–24 in 2012? 33 Conclusion 45 References 47 Appendix A – Logistic regression results 49 List of figures Figure 1 Highest qualification for young people in 2012 and 2023 .................................. 11 Figure 2 Young people’s parents’ highest level of qualification in 2012 and 2023 ........... 12 Figure 3 The employment status of young people in 2012 and 2023 .............................. 14 Figure 4 Occupation type for young people in 2012 and 2023.........................................15 Figure 5 Industry area for young people in 2012 and 2023..............................................16 Figure 6 Gap between the highest (90th) and lowest (10th) performing adults in numeracy......................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 7 Percentage of low and high skilled young people in numeracy in 2012 and 2023 .........................................................................................................................................20 Figure 8 Scores by gender for young people in 2012 and 2023 ......................................21 Figure 9 Scores by region for young people in 2012 and 2023........................................22 Figure 10 Scores by qualification level for young people in 2012 and 2023 ....................23 Figure 11 Scores by first language for young people in 2012 and 2023 ..........................24 Figure 12 Scores by immigration background for young people in 2012 and 2023 .........25 Figure 13 Scores by employment status for young people in 2012 and 2023..................26 Figure 14 Numeracy scores by industry area for young people in 2012 and 2023 ..........27 Figure 15 Change in the probability of achieving Level 1 or below in numeracy, by education level, for young people in 2012 and 2023........................................................29 Figure 16 Change in the probability of achieving Level 1 or below in literacy, by education level, for young people in 2012 and 2023 ........................................................................29 Figure 17 Average literacy scores across countries for 16–23-year-olds in 2012 compared with 27–34-year-olds in 2023 ..........................................................................35 Figure 18 Average numeracy scores across countries for 16–23-year-olds in 2012 compared with 27–34-year-olds in 2023 ..........................................................................36 Figure 19 Percentage of low and high skilled 16–24-year-olds in numeracy 2012 compared with 27–35-year-olds in 2023 ..........................................................................37 Figure 20 Gap between the highest and lowest performing 16–24-year-olds in 2012 and 27–35-year-olds in 2023 in numeracy..............................................................................39 Figure 21 Gender gap in numeracy for 16–24-year-olds in 2012 and 27–35-year-olds in 2023 .................................................................................................................................40 Figure 22 Average scores, by qualification level, for 16–24-year-olds in 2012 and 27–35- year-olds in 2023 ........................................................................................................

FAQs

What survey cycles does the report use to compare young people’s skills?

The report uses two cycles of the Survey of Adult Skills: Cycle 1 in 2012 and Cycle 2 in 2023.

How does the report measure changes in literacy and numeracy from 2012 to 2023?

It analyzes literacy and numeracy scores and related distributions across years (2012 vs 2023), including gaps across percentiles and subgroup breakdowns shown in the figures and tables.

Which factors are examined as being associated with low skills for ages 16–24?

The report studies factors associated with low skills for adults aged 16–24 and how these factors have changed since 2012, supported by Appendix A logistic regression results.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang