under skilled

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "under skilled" is not correct in standard written English. It may be intended to describe someone lacking skills or expertise. Example: "He was under skilled for the job requirements." Alternative expressions include "underqualified," "lacking skills," or "insufficiently skilled."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

Yet, there are millions of underemployed and under skilled workers, who with an education upgrade, could be key to the economic solution.

Huffington Post

The more I run my 30-day programs, the more I see that, while the information is critical for correcting the cognitive distortions, it's the shared experience of going through the program together, under skilled guidance, that tips the balance from insight and action into true change.

Huffington Post

Therefore, our measured rates of facility delivery potentially overestimate the true figure for safe delivery under skilled attendance among the participants.

BMJ Open

Process indicators for maternal mortality include the proportion of women who deliver in a health facility under skilled attendance and the rate of caesarean delivery.

BMJ Open

Whereas the number of women who delivered under skilled attendants improved in rural agrarian and nomadic settings, peri-urban had a negative change.

BMC Health Services Research

Institutional delivery under skilled care is 57%, maternal mortality ratio is 438/100,000 live births, and neonatal mortality rate is 27/1000 live births.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Workers with skill endowments below min j are under-skilled, workers with skill endowments between min j and max j are well-matched and workers with skill endowments above max j are over-skilled.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

A worker whose skills are below the level required by the job is classified as under-skilled, a worker whose skills are above those required by the job is classified as over-skilled.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

Now, it is possible to classify under-skilled workers as those whose skill endowments are below min j and, similarly, over-skilled workers are those whose skill endowments are above max j.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

In order to do so, the optimal skill deployment of over- and under-skilled workers should be compared to the counterfactual of their being well-matched.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

Consistent with the large overlap of mismatch across skill domains (see Table 5), literacy under-skilled workers also appear to over-use their numeracy at work (11.1% more than the well-matched).

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Check if you are using 'under' as a preposition (meaning 'below' or 'during') followed by an adjective, such as "under skilled supervision". In these rare cases, the space is necessary.

Common error

Writers often mistakenly leave a space in "under skilled" when they intend to describe a worker whose abilities fall below requirements. Without the hyphen, the reader may momentarily process 'under' as a preposition rather than a prefix, leading to ambiguity. Use "under-skilled" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "under skilled" typically attempts to function as a compound adjective. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, it often violates standard conventions which require a hyphen ("under-skilled"). In specific instances found in Ludwig examples, it can also act as a prepositional phrase where 'under' denotes being beneath the authority or care of someone who is 'skilled'.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

55%

News & Media

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Social Media

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

To conclude, while "under skilled" appears in professional contexts, it is generally considered grammatically incomplete. Ludwig AI highlights that it is often a typo for the more standard ""under-skilled"" or "underskilled". It is frequently found in scientific and economic literature to describe labor mismatches or medical scenarios involving "under skilled care". For clear and professional writing, it is highly recommended to use a hyphen when describing a lack of expertise to avoid any prepositional ambiguity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

under-skilled

Uses the standard hyphenated form for compound adjectives

underskilled

Uses the closed compound form commonly found in modern usage

underqualified

Suggests a lack of formal credentials or necessary background

insufficiently skilled

Provides a more formal and precise adverbial modification

low-skilled

Focuses on the level of skill rather than the deficit relative to a task

lacking expertise

Shifts the focus from a general skill level to specific subject matter knowledge

ill-equipped

Broadens the meaning to include lack of resources or preparation

under the guidance of skilled

Clarifies the prepositional use where 'under' denotes supervision

minimally proficient

Uses a more technical term to describe the lowest acceptable skill level

unskilled

Implies a complete lack of specific training or ability

FAQs

How to use "under skilled" in a sentence?

In standard English, you should typically use the hyphenated form, but you might see it as "She was considered "under-skilled" for the senior position" or in a prepositional sense like "The procedure was performed "under skilled guidance"".

What can I say instead of "under skilled"?

You can use more standard alternatives such as ""under-skilled"", "underqualified", or "insufficiently skilled" depending on your specific meaning.

Which is correct, under-skilled or "under skilled"?

In most cases, ""under-skilled"" is the correct choice when you are describing someone lacking skills. The version without a hyphen is usually considered a typo or a specific prepositional construction.

What's the difference between "under skilled" and underqualified?

While ""under-skilled"" refers specifically to a lack of practical ability or expertise, "underqualified" often refers to a lack of formal education, certifications, or required years of experience.