Lack of basic skills means 14 million people in the UK lose their employers’ money

More than 14 million people are losing money for their employer because of a lack of basic maths and English skills, research has revealed.

The survey commissioned by Learndirect found that two-thirds of people relied on a spellchecker at work, while more than a quarter of financial workers used their fingers to add up.

More than six in 10 workers in the manual sector admitted to losing their companies’ money owing to a lack of basic skills, as did four in 10 retail employees.

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Michelle Lofthouse, director of business development at Learndirect Business, said: “The research confirms that the current lack of basic skills is having a damaging effect on businesses across the UK.

“A good understanding of basic maths and English is essential for employees to be effective in their roles and for businesses to achieve success.”