The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) survey which will measure adult skills and competencies. These competencies include literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills, with a particular focus on skills needed for success in the information age. Twenty-six countries are participating in PIAAC including Australia, the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan and Korea. PIAAC will provide continuity with the 2006 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALLS), and the 1996 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).

Fieldwork for PIAAC will commence in 2011, with the Australian survey being carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) between October 2011 and February 2012. Australian results from PIAAC will be released in an international report in October 2013. PIAAC will form a critical evidence base for policy and program development. In particular, PIAAC will measure the progress of the National Foundation Skills Strategy which is a collaborative undertaking by the Australian Government and State and Territory Governments, setting the direction for building foundation skills nationally over the decade 2012-2022.

All enquiries regarding the PIAAC can be addressed to piaac@deewr.gov.au

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How frequently will PIAAC be conducted?
PIAAC will be conducted internationally every ten years, commencing in 2011.

2. How many Australians will be surveyed?
The Australian sample will include approximately 9,000 respondents. This will enable international, national and state/territory comparisons to be made.

3. What age range will be included for PIAAC?
The OECD requires respondents to be aged between 16 and 65 years. The Australian sample will extend the age range to between 15 and 74 years, in order to align with ALLS, IALS and other national publications.

4. How can adult literacy results be compared over time?
PIAAC will provide continuity with the 2006 ALLS and 1996 IALS on core foundation skills such as literacy and numeracy. These surveys were also conducted by the OECD, and implemented in Australia by the ABS. Trend data will be made available on literacy competencies back to the 1996 IALS, and numeracy competencies back to the 2006 ALLS.

5. What does current evidence on adult literacy find?
ALLS 2006 highlights significant literacy and numeracy skills deficits in the Australian adult population. 4 per cent of Australians aged 15 to 74 years old were rated at Level 1 or Level 2 (poor or very poor) on the prose literacy scale; 70 per cent of Australian adults were classified as having poor problem solving skills; and the proportion of 15 to 19 year olds with poor and very poor prose skills increased by 7.3 per cent and 2 per cent for document literacy since 1996. There is little variation in ALLS results between the states and territories. 

ALLS 2006 also confirmed the strong association which exists between educational attainment and adult literacy levels, with the majority of those who had completed 10 years or less of formal education assessed at the lowest skill levels across all domains.

For more information on the OECD’s direction of PIAAC, visit the OECD website

For 2006 ALLS results, visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics website