A report from the National Adult Literary Agency has found that 40% of Irish adults have difficulty with everyday maths calculations.
More than 1,000 adults were asked this summer to answer two questions taken from the primary school maths curriculum and four maths calculations based on everyday problems.
They included addition, multiplication, percentages and working out the area of a rectangular field.
The object of the test was to assess the basic numeracy skills that people need to cope in society.
Four out of ten of those surveyed answered at least half the questions incorrectly or not at all.
The survey found that school leaving age was the most important factor deciding numeracy level.
The NALA said 20% of the labour force, or 400,000 people, have less than lower secondary level education and they are most at risk of unemployment as lower skilled jobs become less available.
The agency is encouraging people to look for help if they have problems with reading, writing or maths.
NALA Director Inez Bailey said: 'Those with higher education and training levels can adapt their skills for new and emerging work.
'This is rarely an option for the very low skilled, who with less opportunities are forced into state dependency.'
