Adults lacking basic maths skills

ALMOST one in four adults are unable to work out a simple pay rise, according to a poll.

Many others struggle with basic calculations such as interest on a savings account or currency exchange rates.

Figures have previously shown that around half of England’s working-age population have the numeracy skills of a primary school pupil.

National Numeracy, the charity which commissioned the survey, said that with Brexit approaching, more must be done, by employers and government, to recognise the scale of the UK’s numeracy problem and deal with this issue.

Overall, 23% of more than 2,000 adults questioned were unable to correctly work out the new rate of pay of someone who is paid £9 an hour and gets a five percent pay increase.

Less than a quarter knew the correct answer to a question on exchanging pounds for dollars, and less than two thirds (63%) were able to do the right calculation for a question on interest rates for a savings account.

Just one in six of those questioned (17%) got all three questions right, while 15% failed to answer any correctly.

A new report by National Numeracy and KPMG notes that a 2012 survey found that 49% of working-age adults in England have the numeracy level expected of primary school children.