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The training requirements of foreign-born workers may be different from those of native-born workers in similar jobs. Over recent decades Australian immigration policy has focused predominantly on accepting high-skilled migrants. Although this focus has resulted in the successful integration of foreign-born workers into the Australian labour market (Chiswick & Miller 2011), high-skilled migrant workers may require further training to upgrade their skills for high-skilled employment. Against this backdrop, this study examines the relationship between training requirements and the migration background of workers in four (mainly) English-speaking countries (Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada). The authors are particularly interested in the extent to which the training requirements of foreign-born workers differ from those of native-born workers, and the extent to which these requirements are met in each of these countries. They pay particular attention to the differences between native English-speaking and non-native English-speaking workers within migrant populations because it seems likely that these groups have very different training requirements. They analyse the relationship between adult literacy skills and a skill use measure that reflects the frequency with which workers undertake certain tasks in their jobs. Analysing this relationship allows them to draw inferences about the need for further training among certain groups of native- and foreign-born workers in each country. The results obtained from this analysis are then compared with an analysis of the determinants of the actual training participation of native- and foreign-born workers. Their empirical findings reveal that foreign-born workers in Australia usually seem to receive the training they need, indicating that the integration of foreign-born workers into the Australian education and training system has been successful. While training requirements are being met in a similar way in the US and Canada, the authors observe that foreign-born workers in New Zealand are significantly more likely to require further training, but do not receive significantly more training than comparable native-born workers. Appended are: (1) Description of variables; (2) Descriptive statistics, sample of workers, 1994-96; and (3) Descriptive statistics, sample of workers, 2003-06. (Contains 18 tables, 4 figures and 7 footnotes.)

Younger workers, particularly those entering the workforce at ages 25-34 years, are more educated than ever before. The potential for these workers to be over-educated in their jobs might therefore be high. But does it follow that they are mismatched to the skill requirements of their jobs? This study examines the link between over-education and skill mismatches for Australian workers aged 25-34 and 35-44 years of age, based on an analysis of data from the 1996 Survey of Aspects of Literacy and the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. In addition, the wage returns from over-education and over-skilling are investigated. This research provides an interesting comparison with work done by Mavromaras, McGuinness and King (), which also looked at job mismatch in workers, using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. This research confirms that there are substantial differences between the two concepts of over-education and over-skilling. Most over-skilled workers have low levels of education and require fewer skills at work than they actually have. The majority of under-skilled workers hold a university degree, suggesting that many highly educated workers find themselves in challenging jobs. However, over-education is associated with skills' under-utilisation. The effects of over-education on wages differ substantially across education levels, with the penalty from over-education less severe for highly educated workers than for workers with lower educational attainment. Ryan and Sinning find that it is the level of education more than the skill level of workers that determines their remuneration, with over-skilling having no additional effect on wages beyond that accounted for by over-education. The cost of younger workers with vocational education and training (VET) qualifications being over-educated and in low-skill jobs is of concern. That this effect is also observed in slightly older workers suggests that some VET graduates find themselves entrenched in low-level jobs. (Contains 10 tables, 7 figures and 8 footnotes.)

This report comes from a three-year program of research, "Securing Their Future: Older Workers and the Role of VET." Previous work from the program looked at how well workers were matched to their jobs, based on their literacy and numeracy skills and the use of these skills in the workplace. In a continuation of that work, the research reported here investigates the relationship between skills and skills use at work in four Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries: Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. This research takes advantage of two international surveys coordinated by Statistics Canada and the OECD: the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey. These two surveys, conducted ten years apart, contain unique information about the literacy skills of workers and the frequency with which they undertake a range of literacy- and numeracy-related tasks. These data allow the authors to investigate skill matches to job requirements for workers in the four countries noted above. Key findings include: (1) While it might be expected that factors such as economic growth, technological innovation and structural change in the labour markets of these different countries have led to differences in the use of skills over time, the broad match of workers to jobs that use their skills was quite similar across the four countries; (2) The relationship between individual skills and skill requirements at work was positive for all four countries. High-skilled workers indicated that they use their skills more often at work than less-skilled workers; and (3) Despite the fact that these countries have probably experienced similar developments and adoption of new technology, they do not exhibit the same patterns of change in skill use over time. (Contains 10 tables, 5 figures and 6 footnotes.)

This document serves as a support paper to the "Skill Matches to Job Requirements" report. This document includes the following sections: (1) Development of scales; (2) Definition of variables; and (3) Descriptive statistics. (Contains 3 tables and 9 figures.) [Funding for this document was provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Skill Matches to Job Requirements," and is an added resource for further information. For the main report, see ED507213.]

This document was prepared by the authors to support their report "Job Requirements and Lifelong Learning for Older Workers." This document contains the following sections: (1) Definition of variables; (2) Descriptive statistics; and (3) Additional figures. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.) [Funding for this document was provided through the Australian Department of Education. This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Job Requirements and Lifelong Learning for Older Workers" and is an added resource for further information. For the main report, see ED507237.]

The relationship between job requirements, individual skills and the participation of workers in further education and training, with an emphasis on older workers, is the focus of this report. It found that workers who reported that their jobs are demanding relative to their skills were more likely to participate in education and training. Participation in further education and training was lower for older workers compared with younger workers, although it still increased as relative skills use increased. (Contains 8 footnotes, 8 tables, and 8 figures.) [Funding is provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Additional information relating to this research is available in "Job requirements and lifelong learning for older workers: Support document." For the support document, see ED507238.]

Paying particular attention to older workers, this report examines the relationship between the skills of workers and the skill requirements of the jobs in which they work. The findings show that workers (in all age groups) with higher literacy and numeracy skills tend to use these skills more often than those with lower skill levels. Additionally, older workers used their skills in the workplace at least as much as younger workers, suggesting that they are not moving into less demanding jobs. (Contains 5 footnotes, 9 tables and 7 figures.) [Funding for this paper is provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. For the Support Document containing additional information, see ED507244.]

Australia's ageing population has led to a focus on keeping workers in the labour market longer. This paper summarises the findings from the first year of a three-year research program investigating the role of vocational education and training (VET) for older workers. Examining the use of literacy and numeracy skills by older workers and how this affects their VET participation, the paper found that older workers used their skills as much as younger workers, and that older workers in more demanding jobs relative to their skills are more likely to undertake training, although at lower levels than younger workers. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.) [Funding for this document was provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.]