Launched today, the OECD’s 2024 Education at a Glance underscores the urgent need for policy action to address inequalities in education and in social and labour market outcomes.
Education At A Glance 2024 shows that access to education, study choices, completion rates and labour market outcomes continue to be impacted by gender, socio-economic status, country of birth and regional location.
Inequalities start at the earliest stage of education, with children from lower-income households being less likely to participate in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programmes than those from higher-income households (32% compared to 50% on average across OECD countries).
The OECD also finds that ECEC programmes for children under the age of three are frequently less developed in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, exacerbating inequalities in access to early learning opportunities. To address this, the OECD emphasises the need for “better funding” of ECEC programmes and “increased public investment targeted on disadvantaged families” to support equitable access to pre-primary education for all children.
Disparities continue throughout primary and secondary education. The OECD finds that students from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds perform worse in standardised assessments measuring numeracy and literacy skills, and that students whose parents have not attained upper secondary education are less likely to complete their upper secondary studies than students with parents who have a tertiary qualification.
Inequalities in secondary education impact on labour market outcomes. On average across OECD countries, only 61% of 25–34-year-olds with below upper secondary attainment are employed, compared to 79% of those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment. Workers who have not completed upper secondary education also earn on average 18% less than those who have attained that level.
“Education At A Glance 2024 shows the need for urgent policy action to ensure young people and adults are not held back by their background, circumstances or gender.”
The OECD finds that inequalities in secondary education are aggravated by teacher shortages, which have increased in the majority of OECD countries. Teaching staff shortages are associated with weaker student performance on PISA, and data shows that schools serving more disadvantaged students tend to suffer from more shortages of education staff than those serving students from more privileged backgrounds. To enhance the attractiveness of the teaching profession and address shortages, the OECD highlights the importance of increasing salaries and allowances and improving working conditions, including by reducing administrative workloads.
In addition to inequalities due to socio-economic status, Education At A Glance 2024 also highlights disparities between men and women. Despite outperforming boys and men in education by most available measures, girls and women continue to be disadvantaged in the labour market. The OECD finds that young women are less likely to be employed, with the gap being particularly large for those who have not completed upper secondary education. Young women also earn less than young men, with average earnings 15% lower for those lacking an upper secondary qualification and 17% lower for those with a tertiary qualification.
“Governments need to act on the commitments made in the 2022 Declaration on Building Equitable Societies Through Education and strengthen investment to ensure everyone has access to quality education and training. Supporting and facilitating collective bargaining is also crucial to address disparities in labour market outcomes and advance gender equality. TUAC calls on the OECD to follow up on the findings in Education at a Glance with concrete advice and recommendations to governments in these areas.”
