According to a recent report in The Guardian, millions of Australian adults are struggling with basic literacy skills. While the last comprehensive study on adult literacy was conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2012, which estimated that 3 million people lacked basic literacy skills, there is no up-to-date data to indicate whether this number has increased.
A new national study will soon be launched to understand the challenge better. Business groups, teachers, economists, and literacy campaigners have warned the figure could now be much higher, especially in Tasmania.
In 2012, the OECD found that one in two adults in Tasmania had a literacy level below three, which means they lacked the basic skills required to understand and use information from newspapers, books, or magazines.
Lisa Denny, a member of the Tasmanian 100% Literacy Alliance, said declining high school literacy results since 2012 indicate the problem was now much worse, despite many commitments to improve education standards.
“You can’t fix the problem if you don’t know what the problem is,” Denny said. “So often these challenges are hidden. It can be very difficult to identify someone who cannot read and write. They’re very good at masking it because there’s a big stigma and shame attached to these challenges.”
The report highlights the impact on productivity and profitability, citing examples of employees who would rather say they work 40 hours a week than write another number and café owners who are uncertain whether their staff can provide the correct change.
The Tasmanian government has funded a long-term program to address literacy and numeracy rates, including 26TEN, which works with business and community groups to improve adult education standards.
Brendan O'Connor, the skills and training minister, said the education system had failed these adults and "for the sake of equity, inclusion, and economic growth, we need to act".
“A developed nation and advanced economy like Australia should not be letting these people down," he said.
The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group have also become increasingly concerned about the lack of basic skills, with an Ai Group report last year estimating that 74% of businesses were affected in some way by low levels of literacy and numeracy.
Independent economist Saul Eslake, who is also a member of the 100% Literacy Alliance, said literacy rates were slowing economic growth and keeping the unemployment rate higher in Tasmania.
“That’s partly because there’s a higher proportion of Tasmanians who are over 65,” Eslake said. “But if you break it down by age group, every category has a lower proportion of Tasmanians who have a job than the national average, with the exception of 15 to 19-year-olds.
“A higher proportion of 15 to 19-year-olds are in work in Tasmania because they’re not in higher education including senior secondary school, university or Tafe,” she added.
However, the Tasmanian government's commitment to gathering reliable, up-to-date data and to "remove the barriers of shame and distrust of education" is seen as a positive step forward in addressing this issue.