According to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, of the 2.4 million people expected to be in the workforce by 2020, 1.43 million are already at work. Of the current workforce, 440,000 have at most lower secondary education, including 165,000 aged 35 or less. Participation by Irish adults in ongoing education and training remains, however, low compared with other countries.
favourably mentions underprivileged minorities, for example handicapped, homosexuals or immigrants