Skills use at work

This chapter analyses how skills are used at work, why skills use matters for workers and economies and its key determinants. It draws on data for the 28 OECD countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills. The use of skills at work is just as important a determinant of individual and aggregate economic outcomes as the development of skills, but it is less studied. After explaining how skills use at work is measured in the survey, the chapter reviews how skills are used at work and how this varies across countries. It then shows that skills use has a substantial impact on productivity, wages and job satisfaction. The chapter also analyses several determinants of skills use, including High-Performance Work Practices, globalisation and offshoring, and labour market institutions. The chapter concludes by identifying policy options for improving skills use, drawing from specific country examples and the chapter’s empirical findings.

OECD Employment Outlook 2016

Skills use at work

Why does it matter and what influences it?