Literacy is an economic growth engine – will we seize it?

Everywhere in our economy, there are shortages – in skills, workers and opportunities. Employers say they can’t find the workers they need. And yet, tens of millions of workers are stuck in low-wage, low-growth jobs, with limited economic potential and little opportunity to pursue the American dream.

Some say the only answer is more robots, self-serve kiosks and other technology to replace the workers employers say they can’t find.

There is a better option — and one that we should all get behind: helping roughly 130 million Americans develop the literacy skills they need to apply for and fill those available jobs.  

These are the overlooked and often underserved American adults who struggle with low literacy. While they can read basic words and sentences, anything complex — this opinion piece, for example — is too challenging for them.

Even basic forms and job applications are a challenge for them. COVID-related health advisories and hospital forms leave them confused about what to do and how to stay safe. They have a hard time reading an election ballot, reviewing teachers’ notices from their kids’ school, or writing a basic email.

These Americans are not hopeless. They are often hard-working, holding down multiple jobs — just not well-paying ones. The average annual income of an adult with what’s called Level 0 or Level 1 proficiency is just over $34,000 — equivalent to earning the minimum wage. If they move up to Level 2 proficiency — still below basic literacy — their average income rises to $48,000. At Level 3 proficiency — which is the minimum level required in our society — their average income rises to $63,000.

And it’s not just what they could earn that matters. When someone can read better, they have more options in life. Someone stocking shelves in a warehouse today could be reviewing and inputting inventory — a bigger responsibility. A hospital staffer who lifts patients out of their beds today could be part of their clinical team, working with doctors and nurses. A mom who can’t help her kids with their homework today could be reviewing college applications and scholarship requirements. There is dignity in all work, but there is something special about reaching our potential and gaining new responsibilities — and that’s only possible with literacy.

What’s more, increased literacy will boost our economy and global competitiveness. A Gallup study commissioned by the Barbara Bush Foundation showed that getting all adults to Level 3 literacy would generate an additional $2.2 trillion in annual economic activity — a 10 percent boost that is equivalent to Italy’s entire economy.

Literacy isn’t just about words and sentences: It’s about opportunity. It’s about closing economic and social gaps. And it’s about the communities so often left behind. The states and regions hardest hit by low literacy are Southern states, metro areas and notably, communities with significant or majority African American and Hispanic American neighborhoods.

Addressing this national challenge can’t be the work of one foundation and a few committed individuals. We need a broader coalition of willing employers, corporations, philanthropists and others to step up and promote literacy programs that work.

We start by recognizing that for many Americans, literacy is not a given. If you grow up in a home where reading is rare and books even rarer, the path to literacy is difficult. The good news is that today’s digital platforms have the power to erase the barriers of yesterday, helping families learn anytime, anywhere.

Mobile apps can deliver learning in short, convenient lessons. Even a subway or bus can become a classroom when someone takes 10 minutes of their commute to learn on their mobile phone. Artificial intelligence tools that turn learning into a game can make reading lessons more personalized, fun and engaging — encouraging parents and kids alike to learn together. The possibilities are endless if we all commit to investing in adult literacy — both a preventative and a responsive accelerant for our economic recovery.

What matters is commitment, and that often starts by recognizing the nature of the challenge. This is bigger than the challenge of finding workers for a few companies. This is a national emergency: roughly 54 percent of Americans earn and do less than they could and should because they simply can’t read at a basic level.

Just as great is the opportunity. Unleashing the full potential of those 130 million citizens and empowering them to pursue their American dream would be an economic bonanza unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes. We would go from a skills shortage to a talent surplus, and a boom in the earnings and productivity of our country’s most untapped resource: the American people.  

British A. Robinson is the president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Mike Rogers is the founder of Leadership to Ensure the American Dream (LEAD), and a former U.S. representative from Michigan. Along with his wife, Kristi Rogers, Mike is also co-chair of the Barbara Bush Foundation’s 2023 National Celebration of Reading.