More than half of employers are unhappy with the basic literacy and numeracy skills of 16-year-olds, according to a survey by the CBI.

The report found that many businesses are having to train employees in skills that they should have been taught in the classroom.

Richard Lambert, CBI’s director-general, says: “Basic literacy and numeracy problems are a nightmare for business and for individuals, so we have to get these essentials right.”

But, the report found that many school-leavers were more technically literate than their bosses.