There are more than 500,000 people with unmet adult literacy needs in the country according to the CSO.
A regional literacy coordinator based in Cavan and Monaghan says many adults in work with unmet literacy and numeracy needs are vulnerable in their job role and tend to remain within the low skilled workforce.
Regional literacy coordinator, Ceinwen Fergus says Ireland lags behind a lot of European countries when it comes to adult literacy issues with Ireland placed 15 out of 24 countries in reading and 19 out of 24 when it comes to maths.
Over 40,000 adults are currently attending literacy courses across the country.
The National Adult Literacy Agency can be contacted on a free phone number 1800 20 20 65 or online at NALA.ie
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan Show earlier, Ceinwen Fergus from the Cavan/Monaghan Education Training Board says local education boards are there to help if anyone feels they require assistance.
