Surprised?

Surprised? So were the researchers who tested and compared workers in 23 countries.

We hear about the superior tech savvy of people born after 1980 so often that we tend to assume it must be true. But is it?

Researchers at Princeton-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) expected it to be when they administered a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Sponsored by the OECD, the test was designed to measure the job skills of adults, aged 16 to 65, in 23 countries.

When the results were analyzed by age group and nationality, ETS got a shock. It turns out, says a new report, that Millennials in the U.S. fall short when it comes to the skills employers want most: literacy (including the ability to follow simple instructions), practical math, and — hold on to your hat — a category called “problem-solving in technology-rich environments.”

Not only do Gen Y Americans lag far behind their overseas peers by every measure, but they even score lower than other age groups of Americans.

No, not surprised.  I’ve met them.  It’s why on some blogs comment pages I’ve started listing my age at the end of my comment.  Those also listing their age who think the same way about politics and society are at least in their forties.  Those who either don’t have a clue what I’m talking about or tell me I’m full of poo are in their twenties or thirties.   It is the primary reason I despair  about the future of my country.  (Did I just say that anyone who doesn’t think and say the same things as I do is stupid?  Yeah, probably.)

Seen this video?

It’s a comedy, but it’s not a joke.

“We really thought [U.S.] Millennials would do better than the general adult population, either compared to older coworkers in the U.S. or to the same age group in other countries,” says Madeline Goodman, an ETS researcher who worked on the study. “But they didn’t. In fact, their scores were abysmal.”

In other words, they are stupid.  Young, good looking, nice clothes and expensive toys that Daddy paid for: but stupid. This is John, age 64.