Poor math skills pose risk for EU competitiveness, report says

Children’s math and reading skills have “significantly worsened” across most European Union countries, posing a huge risk to how well the bloc’s future workforce can power its economy, according to a European Commission employment report.

Rates of underachievement – when students don’t reach minimum proficiency – have been increasing over the past 12 years with a dramatic decline in basic skills in 2022, possibly as a result of pandemic school closures.

The EU is currently far off its target to reduce underachievement to 15 percent by 2030, the report said. Nearly one in three 15-year-olds didn’t have basic skills in math and one in four couldn’t reach minimum levels in reading and science.

The report rated these poor results as a threat to labor productivity and competitiveness in the medium term. It cited employer surveys as saying it’s crucial to have skilled workers and pointed to labor shortages as holding back companies’ ability to scale up production.

“Well-functioning and effective education and training systems are thus crucial for equipping young people and adults with labour market-relevant skills for quality jobs, also in view of the big transformations that the EU is facing,” it said.

Roxana Mînzatu, the Commission’s executive vice president for skills, said the figures show the danger that the green and digital transition could “risk leaving our citizens behind.” 

Underachievement rates for math are worst in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania. Poorer students across the EU do far worse with nearly half underperforming in math in 2022, “a significant increase from 38.2% in 2018,” the report said.

But the decline also hit richer children with the report flagging a lack of qualified teachers, “aggravated in the last few years by, among others, the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Several governments are taking action with Finland introducing more mandatory lessons and the Dutch planning to give €500 per student to schools willing to improve basic skills.

Mînzatu is due to present a skills plan at the beginning of March. She said this “will focus on investment in skills, adult and lifelong learning, vocational education and training, skills retention and skills recognition.” The Commission also intends to review a digital education plan and draw up a roadmap on the future of digital education and training.

Giovanna Coi contributed to this story.