A Brief Assessment of Adult Skills in Turkey: Results from Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC)

Year 2020, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 25 - 57, 01.01.2020

Furkan Kavuncu Sezgin Polat

Abstract

In this study, we compare the adults’ proficiency in key information-processing skills in Turkey with the rest of the OECD countries using the results of OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey. Several key observations can be summarized as follows; While the performance of adults in OECD countries are mostly grouped at intermediate levels, adults in Turkey are concentrated at elementary levels. Both in literacy and numeracy skills, individuals with tertiary education in Turkey perform the same as individuals with secondary education in the OECD countries. We observe that low level of skill use in the labor market might also reflects poor skill returns; thereby individuals prefer not to invest heavily in those skills. Findings of the PIAAC survey reveal that the improvement in quantity should be complemented with progress in quality in Turkey. Moreover, low returns to skills put more emphasis on institutional issues concerning the structure of labor demand. Lack of incentives in firms could be a factor restricting skill development of workers and could lead to low investment in skill upgrading. We complement our comparison by providing some evidence from other data sources and underline the importance of skill development for growth.

Keywords

Skill, human capital, productivity, labor force

Supporting Institution

We would like to thank REF for financial support

Thanks

Current study has first appeared as a working paper at TUSIAD-Sabanci University Competitiveness Forum (REF). We would also like to thank Izak Atiyas and Alpay Filiztekin for their valuable comments and suggestions. The usual disclaimer applies.

Türkiye'de Yetişkin Becerilerinin Kısa Bir Değerlendirmesi: Yetişkin Yeterlilikleri Anketinden (PIAAC) Çıkarsamalar

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, OECD Uluslararası Yetişkin Yeterlilikleri Değerlendirmesi (PIAAC) anketinin sonuçlarını kullanarak yetişkinlerin Türkiye'deki temel bilgi işleme becerilerindeki yeterliliğini diğer OECD ülkeleriyle karşılaştırıyoruz. Çalışmamızdan çıkan birkaç önemli gözlem şöyle özetlenebilir; OECD ülkelerindeki yetişkinlerin performansı çoğunlukla orta düzeylerde gruplandırılırken, Türkiye'deki yetişkinler temel düzeylerde yoğunlaşmıştır. Türkiye'de yükseköğretime sahip bireyler, hem okuryazarlık hem de matematik becerilerinde, OECD ülkelerindeki orta öğretim seviyesindeki bireylerle aynı performansı göstermektedir. PIAAC sonuçları Türkiye eğitim sisteminde nicel olarak sağlanan başarının niteliksel gelişme ile tamamlanması ihtiyacını ortaya koymaktadır. Öte yandan işgücü piyasasında, sayısal ve sözel becerilerin getirisinin düşük olması işgücü talebinin yapısına ilişkin başka kurumsal sorunların altını çizmektedir. Firmaların yarattığı teşviklerin yetersiz oluşu, beceri gelişimi önünde kısıtlayıcı bir engel olarak ortaya çıkmakta ve becerilere yapılan yatırımın düşük kalmasına sebep olmaktadır. Karşılaştırmamızı diğer veri kaynaklarından derlediğimiz bazı olguları ortaya koyarak ve büyüme için beceri geliştirmenin önemini vurgulayarak tamamlıyoruz.

Keywords

Beceri, beşeri sermaye, verimlilik, işgücü, eğitimin getirisi

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