Only few previous studies have explored cross-national variation in the relationship between educational certificates and competences. In this paper, we investigate the certificate-competence relationship, operationalized as skills gaps by level of educational attainment. More importantly, we...

Männer ohne Berufsausbildung oder Hochschulabschluss haben in Deutschland eher niedrige alltagsmathematische Kompetenzen. Dennoch gibt es zwischen ihnen deutliche Kompetenzunterschiede. Auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt profitieren formal gering qualifizierte Männer kaum von höheren Kompetenzen...

We investigate the impact of external differentiation and vocational orientation of (lower and upper) secondary education on country variation in the mean numeracy skills of, and skills gaps between, adults with low and intermediate formal qualifications. We use data on 30- to 44-year-olds in 18...

We use PIAAC data on the literacy and numeracy skills of 49,366 25-to-54-year-olds in 27 countries to shed new light on cross-national variation in the labor market disadvantage of less-educated adults (i.e., those who have not completed upper secondary education). Our empirical analysis focuses...

We use PIAAC data to study the relationship between parental education and educational success among adults from 23 advanced economies. We consider educational success in terms of both educational attainment (formal qualifications) and educational achievement (competencies) and in both absolute...

This article addresses the labour market challenges faced by adults with low formal qualifications. While low-level formal qualifications are usually associated with a lower skill level, it is crucial to recognise the large heterogeneity of skills within the group of low-qualified individuals in...

This report provides insights into inequalities in school-to-work transitions (hereafter STWT) by exploring the role of contextual and individual factors in shaping the experiences of young people. We examine differences between 27 European countries and, for 14 of them, also within countries...

The German Hartz reforms, introduced by the Red-Green coalition government in the years 2003 to 2005, form part of a broader pattern of European activation policies which have become known as new labour policies. The idea of these reforms was to reduce welfare dependency and to boost activity...

Angesichts anhaltend hoher und jüngst wieder steigender Arbeitslosenzahlen ist die Bekämpfung der Arbeitslosigkeit ein herausragendes Ziel deutscher wie europäischer Politik. Dabei ist es mit den „Hartz-Reformen“ der Jahre 2003 bis 2005 zuletzt zu den tiefstgreifenden arbeitsmarkt- und...