Measuring illiteracy first requires choosing what to measure. Reading, writing, arithmetic: recent surveys distinguish these three skills instead of aggregating them into a single indicator. This approach, supported by INSEE and ANLCI, changes how public policies target affected populations and allocate funding.
Risk factors for illiteracy: what territorial data reveals
Since 2024, ANLCI has been using the results of the INSEE-DARES survey “Lifelong Learning” to produce indicators at the intercommunal level. An experiment in Hauts-de-France crosses several variables to map at-risk areas.
The level of education remains the most discriminating risk factor. Individuals without a diploma show a significantly higher exposure to difficulties in reading, writing, or arithmetic compared to graduates. Age and having started schooling outside France are two other documented factors.
This territorial granularity changes the game for local authorities. Rather than applying a national average rate, each intercommunal area can now assess its own vulnerabilities and adapt its training programs. The method should serve as a basis for a national rollout.
Several associative structures participate in this identification and support dynamic, similar to the documented work on encrages.org, which links training pathways and integration through basic skills.
Illiteracy, innumeracy, digital illiteracy: comparative table of targeted skills
Policies to combat illiteracy are no longer limited to reading and writing. Recent statistical work explicitly includes innumeracy, meaning difficulties with quantities, numerical instructions, and administrative documents containing numerical data.
| Skill | Operational Definition | Mainly Affected Public | Associated Training Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading-Writing (illiteracy) | Difficulty reading or writing a simple text related to daily life, despite having received schooling | Low-skilled employees, seniors, individuals who left school early | Basic skills pathways, CléA, associative workshops |
| Arithmetic (innumeracy) | Difficulty understanding quantities, numerical instructions, or performing common operations | Manual trades, administrative procedures, budget management | Specific modules integrated into skills pathways |
| Digital (digital illiteracy) | Inability to use digital tools and the internet in daily life | Individuals distanced from digital technology, seniors, rural areas | Support in media libraries, OPCO training |
Innumeracy affects jobs where numerical instructions are ubiquitous, from logistics to cleaning to the agri-food sector. Companies in these sectors are directly concerned with identifying these situations among their employees.
Identification in the workplace: the role of OPCOs and professional branches
The skills operator AKTO is committed to combating illiteracy in the branches it covers, particularly in cleaning and associated services. Identification in the workplace is a lever that traditional approaches (tests in training centers) do not always capture.
- Frontline managers are trained to identify concrete signals: an employee who systematically avoids written tasks, who asks a colleague to read safety instructions, or who never fills out an administrative form alone
- Training pathways utilize the CléA certification, which validates a core set of professional skills including communication in French, arithmetic, and digital skills
- Funding comes from the pooled funds of OPCOs, allowing companies, including the smallest ones, to offer support at no cost to the employee
Identification in the workplace reaches individuals that traditional programs do not capture. The majority of adults in illiteracy situations are employed. It is in the workplace, rather than in integration structures, that the first contact with a training pathway most often occurs.
Training in basic skills: pathways and CléA certification
The CléA certification covers seven areas, from communication in French to the ability to learn how to learn. For individuals in illiteracy situations, the pathway begins with an initial assessment in a real situation, not with a standardized written test.
This assessment identifies the skills already acquired in daily professional practice. An employee may be proficient in reading safety pictograms without being able to write a report. The training pathway adjusts to these gaps.
Duration and modalities of pathways
Training pathways vary according to the profile. For an employee who already has solid oral skills but lacks writing skills, a few dozen hours may sometimes be enough to reach the certification threshold. In contrast, a person facing difficulties in reading, arithmetic, and digital skills will follow a longer support program, often over several months.
Training increasingly takes place during work hours, which reduces one of the main barriers to employee engagement. The employer frees up time slots, the OPCO funds it, and the trainer sometimes intervenes directly on-site.
Illiteracy and access to employment: a barrier documented by INSEE
INSEE data from the “Lifelong Learning” survey confirms that difficulties in reading and writing reduce access to continuing professional training. Affected individuals participate less in existing programs, even though they need them the most.
This under-representation in continuing education exacerbates the skills gap over the years. Employees in illiteracy situations progress more slowly, have less access to internal promotions, and remain more exposed to restructuring.
The territorial approach experimented in Hauts-de-France aims precisely to correct this gap. By identifying employment areas where the proportion of individuals without a diploma is high, funders can concentrate resources where the social return on investment is strongest.
The emerging challenge is no longer to convince that illiteracy exists, but to organize a sufficiently fine territorial network so that each affected person has access to an appropriate training pathway, at the right time, in a non-stigmatizing environment.
