Employers lament that they have difficulty hiring people with basic reading and writing skills.

ECONOMIST: Education in Thailand

The problem, she told me, is that many of the job applicants they receive are still missing basic reading and writing skills for the job (both in the US and in India).

FORBES: New Jobs Report Looks Good. Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

To deepen the skills of the work force Ms Williams believes that no one should leave school at 16 without basic numeracy, writing and reading skills.

BBC: Debate on the economy

The main result from this evaluation revealed that learners had successfully acquired basic reading, writing and numeracy skills as a result of their participation to the APLICA circles.

UNESCO: Country Profile: Angola

The National Adult Literacy course addresses a broad range of skills including reading and writing, basic numeracy, listening actively and responding appropriately, developing ICT skills and self-strategic learning, applying problem-solving techniques to real life situations, engaging in critical and consensual discussion, planning performance to attain goals and enhancing interpersonal skills to improve teamwork.

UNESCO: Country Profile: Mauritius

Putting into primary education some of the money now spent on servicing debt, on armies and on higher education combined with changed attitudes to girls' education could quickly give most African children basic skills in reading and writing.

ECONOMIST: No school, no future

But we are giving teachers - everybody who applies has to take a basic skills test and they also have to submit a writing sample.

NPR: A New School Year Begins in New Orleans