IMPROVING numeracy skills of workers who have lost their jobs during the Covid pandemic could "hold one of the keys to a fairer recovery" in Northern Ireland, new research suggests.
A study has found 53 per cent of those in the north who lost their job during the crisis are "likely to be individuals with low numeracy skills, the equivalent of 13,000 people".
The report also said the "disproportionate impact stems from the serious effect the pandemic has had on sectors such as hospitality and retail, where workers possess lower numeracy skills on average".
Pro Bono Economics (PBE), which compiled the Counting on the Recovery report, said it highlights "the importance numeracy should play in the region’s recovery".
Around 700,000 workers with low numeracy skills are estimated to be earning up to £1,500 less per year on average than if they had a basic level of numeracy skills.
With the average wage in Northern Ireland around 14 per cent below the UK average, the PBE economists say "boosting numeracy skills could play a key role in levelling up incomes".
They said with expectations that unemployment will not return to pre-pandemic levels for several years, supporting people to build their numeracy skills could "help them improve their chances of finding work and boost people’s earning potential in Northern Ireland".
Andy Haldane, co-founder of PBE, said a numeracy crisis is "having significant economic costs, especially for those least-advantaged in society".
"This cost can be counted in lost earnings - such as the potential £700 million that could be added to the collective pay packet in Northern Ireland if numeracy skills were levelled-up," he said.
"And these costs have been increased by Covid, which has hit hardest those whose numeracy skills are fewest.
"Looking ahead, one of the key tasks of economic policy will be to return people to well-paying jobs in left-behind parts of the country.
"Rising to this challenge was never going to be easy. But tackling the adult numeracy crisis, at source, could help us do it, by boosting job and income prospects for those living in the UK’s least-advantaged regions and nations."
Claire Warnes from KPMG, which commissioned the report for the charity National Numeracy, said people with "low numeracy have been disproportionately impacted by unemployment in the wake of Covid".
"As we focus on recovery, it’s vital businesses continue to promote lifelong learning – to bolster employees’ future career prospects and adaptability, as well as to improve productivity," she said,
"The crucial role businesses play in improving social mobility can’t be overlooked either and those efforts will be needed now more than ever."
