Education and pay - Paying price of illiteracy

Things are bad enough when the taxman takes money from a person’s wage packet but when workers are paid less because they cannot read, it is a damning comment on the Irish education system.

Not for the first time, an ESRI report out today provides a graphic illustration of the vital importance of reading and writing as research shows that a worker who has difficulty with literacy and numeracy can earn as much as 8% less than his better educated peers.

It appears those in the private sector are more likely to have problems, mainly evident in the service industry, including the transport, wholesale and retail sectors.

Though 50,000 workers took part in the project based on the 2006 national employment survey, the scale of the literacy problem could be higher because people with acute problems were probably unable to complete the survey.

These findings underline the import of the NALA, the National Adult Literacy Association, which acts as the umbrella body for groups that teach adults how to read and write, a mission that provides real benefits for society and the economy and worthy of every support.