LoveBelfast other countries on skills Northern Ireland risks slipping further behind other countries in the skills of its workforce, a new report by a leading research institute finds. The report, from Learning and Work Institute, looks at how the skills of Northern Ireland’s workforce are likely to compare to other countries by 2030. It finds that in 2030 Northern Ireland will have a substantially higher proportion of people qualified below the equivalent of GCSE level than the OECD average (17.4% compared to 12.8%) and a lower proportion with at least a degree-level qualification (44.9% compared to 47.8%). According to the new report, commissioned by Open College Network NI (OCN NI), by 2030 Northern Ireland will have the fourth highest proportion of low qualified people out of 16 OECD comparators. Moreover, it will be ranked as low as 14th for the proportion of people who are highly qualified. In comparison, the Republic of Ireland would be joint first for the proportion of people with high qualifications and have the joint lowest proportion with low qualifications. Northern Ireland’s skills profile in 2030 will struggle to match the UK’s position today, despite a further ten years to improve skills.