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The Network on Labour market, economic, and social outcomes of learning (LSO Expert Network) has diligently worked on the selection of indicators for monitoring adult learning policies. Their inaugural theoretical framework on adult learning, published in 2013, covered a broad spectrum of policy areas. This comprehensive scope reflected both the focus of existing data sources and the challenges encountered in data collection efforts. Over the past decade, significant policy shifts have occurred, reshaping adult learning systems both domestically and internationally. Concurrently, there have been improvements in the availability and frequency of data pertaining to adult learning. In response to these developments, this working paper presents an updated theoretical framework on adult learning, aiming to enhance the identification of statistical data concerning adult learning systems and facilitate the selection of pertinent indicators for monitoring purposes. Additionally, the paper offers detailed insights into national priorities and practices within this domain.

Empirical studies in the economics of education, the measurement of skill gaps across demographic groups, and the impacts of interventions on skill formation rely on psychometrically validated test scores that record the proportion of items correctly answered. Test scores are sometimes taken as measures of an invariant scale of human capital that can be compared over time and people. We show that for a prototypical test, invariance is violated. We use an unusually rich data set from an early childhood intervention program that measures knowledge of narrowly defined skills on essentially equivalent subsets of tasks. We examine if conventional, broadly-defined measures of skill are the same across people who are comparable on detailed knowledge measures. We reject the hypothesis of aggregate scale invariance and call into question the uncritical use of test scores in research on education and on skill formation. We compare different measures of skill and ability and reject the hypothesis of valid aggregate measures of skill.

This paper examines the evolving challenges facing the mining sector, where rapid technological change, soaring global demand for critical minerals, and the green transition are transforming job requirements and regional economies. It provides an overview of the mining workforce and identifies significant workforce gaps arising from issues of the availability of workers and skills, and the attractiveness of the sector and regions where it exists. Drawing on policy examples from OECD countries, the paper explores policy measures and industry-led initiatives to expand the local talent pool, bridge the skills gap, transform the sector’s reputation, and enhance regional appeal. These good practices aim to provide a practical foundation, which regions can tailor to fit their local economic and demographic contexts.

With each survey cycle, the measurement of socio-economic status in PISA must strike a delicate balance between at-times conflicting goals: accuracy, coverage, cost-efficiency, trend continuity, relevance (keeping up with changes in society) and comparability across countries. Over the past decade, a number of changes were introduced in the instruments and scaling processes; new related questions were added; and experiments were conducted with alternative question formats. In light of these changes, new variables, and experiments, we examine the quality of the indicators and scales that contribute to the index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) in PISA. We conclude with implications for questionnaire development, recommendations for scaling, and suggestions for future research.

Climate change mitigation policies affect the allocation of workers on the labor market: jobs in high-polluting industries will contract, while jobs in the “green” sector will grow. A just transition in the labour market requires policies to improve the allocation of workers and their deployability, for instance towards performing green tasks; as well as to manage and minimise scarring effects associated with job losses in polluting industries. Using an econometric analysis, this paper investigates the role of structural and policy factors in shaping a number of relevant labour market transitions, uncovering heterogeneity across different groups of workers. Education is the most important individual-level driver of transitions from non-employment to green jobs, with a particularly strong effect from graduating in scientific fields for young people entering the labour market. Women are significantly less likely than men to move into green jobs out of non-employment. Workers employed in high-polluting occupations face higher displacement risks than other workers, but this does not translate into higher long-term unemployment risks. In terms of policies, the paper finds that the labour market implications of the greening economy can be addressed by general structural policies favouring labour market efficiency in terms of workers’ reallocation, labour market inclusiveness in terms of promoting equality of opportunities and minimising long-term scars. Results also suggest that place-based policies are needed to mitigate scarring effects for displaced workers.

In two-stage elimination math contests, participants from four different age groups compete to pass from stage 1 to stage 2 and later to be among the winners. Although female participants have higher maths grades at school the gender gap reverses in the two stages of the contests. More importantly, following the same individual participant across different stages, we find that the gender gap in performance increases from stage 1 to stage 2. The increase in female underperformance is attributed to higher competitive pressure and alternative explanations based on selection, discrimination and differences in reaction to increasing difficulty are ruled out.

This paper maps the governance models for adult skills systems across OECD countries, focusing on the role of subnational governments. It shows that adult skills systems in OECD countries are complex, with responsibilities distributed across different levels of government and public and non-public stakeholders. While no single model (centralised, combined and decentralised) dominates, some parts of the adult skills systems are more likely to be devolved to subnational governments than others. The paper also shows how some types of responsibilities (e.g. strategy-setting and intelligence gathering) are more likely to be kept at the national level, while other responsibilities (financing, implementation and delivery) are more often devolved to regional or local levels of government. Finally, the paper considers some benefits and drawbacks of more decentralised approaches to adult skills provision and identifies cross-cutting issues and learning points that can be observed across OECD countries.

What happens when employers would like to screen their employees but only observe a subset of output? We specify a model in which heterogeneous employees respond by producing more of the observed output at the expense of the unobserved output. Though this substitution distorts output in the short-term, we derive three sufficient conditions under which the heterogenous response improves screening efficiency: 1) all employees place similar value on staying in their current role; 2) the employees' utility functions satisfy a variation of the traditional single-crossing condition; 3) employer and worker preferences over output are similar. We then assess these predictions empirically by studying a change to teacher tenure policy in New York City, which increased the role that a single measure -- test score value-added -- played in tenure decisions. We show that in response to the policy teachers increased test score value-added and decreased output that did not enter the tenure decision. The increase in test score value-added was largest for the teachers with more ability to improve students' untargeted outcomes, increasing their likelihood of getting tenure. We find that the endogenous response to the policy announcement reduced the screening efficiency gap -- defined as the reduction of screening efficiency stemming from the partial observability of output -- by 28%, effectively shifting some of the cost of partial observability from the post-tenure period to the pre-tenure period.

In today's rapidly evolving economy, businesses are facing growing challenges in recruiting workers with the right skills. Chambers of commerce can play an important role in helping communities tackle these pressing issues and building skills systems that are fit for the future. This paper draws on a 2024 survey undertaken by the OECD in collaboration with Eurochambres and the International Chamber of Commerce, covering chambers from 65 countries and transnational regions. It explores the role chambers play in shaping and implementing skills policies at local, regional and national levels. Common approaches include supporting strategy development at both national and regional/local levels; serving as an intermediary between businesses and skills programmes; and, at least to some degree, being a direct provider of training themselves. As demands for agile and inclusive skills systems grow, this paper serves as a first step to explore how chambers can further support skills agendas.

Using language models, this paper conducts a cross-country comparative innovation policy analysis of skills-technology policy debates across seven OECD member countries (Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Results highlight the dominance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and digital skills in these policy debates, the relative neglect of green skills, and the emphasis on soft skills across all technology fields. The analysis also identifies common policy instruments, which include collaborative platforms and direct financial support. Overall, the paper shows how large language models can help policy analysts identify patterns and gaps in extensive policy texts that nonetheless critically demands expert oversight and careful interpretation.