31% of company employees in South Korea have ”excessive academic ability”... 8% higher than the OECD average

It has been revealed that one in three people in South Korea's workplaces has a higher level of education than their current workplace requires. On the other hand, practical skills such as language and mathematics are lacking.
The Ministry of Education of Korea announced on the 10th that the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) published the results of the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which showed that Korea's over-education rate was 31.
The OECD average of 23.4% of workers in the labor market is 1.3%, well above the OECD average of 23.4%. Overeducation refers to when a worker's highest level of education exceeds the educational level required for their current occupation.
In fact, the proportion of people with "undereducational qualifications" - those whose educational qualifications do not meet the requirements of the workplace - was 3.7%, less than half the OECD average (9.5%).
This was almost the same level as the ECD average (67.2%). The survey will be conducted from September 2022 to 2023 among approximately 160,000 adults aged 16-65 in 31 OECD member countries.
In South Korea, 6,198 people participated, and the survey was conducted using tablet-based home visit interviews. The survey included a direct assessment of three areas: language ability, mathematical ability, and adaptive problem-solving ability, as well as personal
The survey was conducted by a questionnaire surveying the actual language skills of Korean adults, which revealed that the actual language skills of Korean adults are below the OECD average.
The score for mathematics ability was 253 points, which is below the OECD average (263 points). The score for adaptive problem-solving ability was 238 points, which is below the OECD average (251 points).
), which is lower than the OECD average. In particular, the proportion of students at the higher levels (levels 4 and 5) was only about half the OECD average in all areas. In language proficiency, the proportion at the higher level was 5.6%, lower than the OECD average (11
.7%), and mathematics ability was 6.6%, well below the OECD average (13.9%). However, the situation was slightly better for the younger generation aged 16-24. The language ability (
The average scores for verbal ability (276 points) and mathematical ability (273 points) were at the same level as or slightly higher than the OECD average (verbal ability 273 points, mathematical ability 272 points).
The phenomenon of "skill mismatch" in relation to practical ability is also noteworthy. The proportion of "overskilled" people, in which their actual skill level exceeds the level required to perform their job, was 23.9%.
This was lower than the OECD average (26.1%). Meanwhile, the proportion of people who were insufficient in actual skills due to "skills shortage" was 11.0%, slightly higher than the OECD average (9.6%).
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "In a rapidly changing social environment due to the digital transformation, we will expand individualized lifelong learning and vocational training programs so that all citizens can learn and participate in lifelong learning and vocational training."
"Relevant ministries and agencies will work together to ensure that these people can participate in job hunting and vocational skills development," he said.