Skills and Innovation in G20 Countries

Abstract

Inspired by the Government of Argentina’s recognition of innovation as a key source of growth and the G20 commitment to the 2030 sustainable development agenda, the purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it presents the statistical profiles of selected aspects of skills and innovation in G20 countries. Second, it addresses learning and the fact that many children and young people are not meeting minimum proficiency levels in literacy and mathematics, even though access to education in most G20 countries has improved noticeably. Specifically, this paper reviews the following three dimensions of the G20’s potential to build skills: What is the level of basic skills of children and young people in G20 countries? To what extent are children and young people not learning? What are the levels of educational attainment and how many internationally-mobile tertiary students are there in G20 countries? What are the new trends in research and innovation in G20 countries? Section 2 addresses the issue of whether or not children and young people in G20 countries are learning basic skills, as well as youth who are neither using their skills in employment nor investing in skills through education and training. Section 3 then reviews the level of educational attainment and cross-border mobility of higher education students, which contribute to human resources for research and innovation. Section 4 summarises new trends in research and innovation in G20 countries. Finally, Section 5 concludes by providing general policy implications.