While the need for improved literacy in the work force is generally accepted, questions still remain as to what levels of literacy are required for different jobs and who will provide the necessary adult literacy training. To answer these questions, researchers must develop a database of information about literacy needs and deficiences. Developing such a database, however, is not easily accomplished. Upon discovering that employee performance in one area is unacceptable, employers can take any one of a number of actions that would change the nature of the job in question. In addition, literacy requirements change over time as organizations themselves change. Job analysis and validation are two possible means of assessing the literacy requirements of work. Each method has advantages and disadvantages that must be considered carefully when using them in a large-scale research project. Informal surveys of employers throughout the country indicate that the burden to improve employee quality rests mainly with the educational system. While employers are concerned about the literacy levels of their workers, many doubt whether literacy training by employers is effective. An examination of the remedial training policies of companies such as American Telegraph and Telephone suggests that, for a variety of reasons, employers are generally quite conservative about providing literacy training. (MN)