A study commissioned by The College Board (the folks behind the SATs) revealed that a majority of employers say about one-third of their workers don’t meet the writing requirements of their positions. In a Communitelligence piece, Robert Holland quotes College Board President Caston Caperton: “Businesses are really crying out. They need to have people who write gooder.”

Okay, I’m kidding. He did say “write better.” The study notes that the problem exists in mining; construction; manufacturing; transportation and utilities; services; and finance, insurance and real estate. “It seems companies want everyone to be able to communicate effectively, not just the executives, lawyers and public relations people.”

Bringing employees up to the writing levels needed costs U.S. business as much as $3.1 billion a year.

The study, conducted by the College Board’s National Commission on Writing, is covered in a press release, and you can download a PDF of the full report.