Fewer participate in non-formal education

The workplace is an important arena for learning, and this can clearly be seen in the 2017 figures, which show that participation in non-formal education is much lower among persons who are not in employment than among employed persons. Sixteen per cent of persons not in employment participated in non-formal education, a decrease of two percentage points from 2016.

For employed persons, participation is highest among those aged 35-44. In this group, over half participated in non-formal education. The lowest participation was among the 62 to 66-year-olds, with a participation rate of 43 per cent.

The age distribution differs somewhat among persons not in employment. Here, participation is greatest among those aged 25-34, where 22 per cent participate, and lowest in the age group 62-66 years, where five per cent participate.

Participation in non-formal education also varies with the highest completed education level. Among employed persons with a higher education, 58 per cent participated in non-formal education. For employed persons with education at basic school level or with no completed education, the corresponding figure is 33 per cent.

Stable participation in formal education

In 2017, 15 per cent of the employed persons responded that they had participated in formal education in the preceding 12 months. The corresponding proportion among persons not in employment was 39 per cent. Participation was at the same level the previous year.

At 17 per cent, the share of employed women who participated in formal education is higher than that of employed men, where 12 per cent participated. The opposite trend can be seen among the persons not in employment, where participation is 42 per cent for men and 36 per cent for women.