The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has unveiled alarming data spotlighting the escalating unemployment crisis gripping the nation, particularly among its educated youth. The findings, derived from the Ghana 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES), reveal a grim reality where a significant portion of the population, despite being qualified and willing to work, remains jobless.
Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, the Government Statistician, disclosed that nearly a quarter (22.3%) of Ghanaians enduring an unemployment spell—defined as a continuous period of joblessness despite the ability and desire to work—between January 2022 and September 2023 held tertiary qualifications. A further 48% had completed their secondary education, underscoring the depth of the unemployment issue across educational levels.
The survey tracked unemployment spells lasting various durations, highlighting that around 200,000 individuals had been unemployed for at least 12 months within the surveyed period. Disturbingly, youth unemployment stood out as a significant concern, with 1.3 million young Ghanaians aged 15 to 35 years contributing to more than three-quarters of the total unemployment figure of 1.85 million in the country.
This situation presents a dire challenge for policymakers, as Prof. Annim emphasized the urgency of targeting interventions towards this demographic to make a dent in the staggering 1.3 million youth unemployment figures. He suggested that government initiatives aimed at creating job opportunities should prioritize these young individuals to effectively address the country’s unemployment crisis.
The AHIES, serving as Ghana’s first nationally representative high-frequency household panel survey, provides quarterly updates on key labor statistics, offering a nuanced view of unemployment trends across different demographics and regions. The report shows a year-on-year increase in unemployment rates, with the Western Region, Greater Accra, and North East experiencing the highest rises.
Conversely, the Northern, Savannah, and Bono East regions saw significant declines in unemployment rates, indicating regional disparities in economic conditions and job availability. This necessitates a tailored approach to tackling unemployment, particularly in regions like Greater Accra and Ashanti, which consistently recorded higher than average unemployment rates throughout the survey period.
The survey also highlighted a worrying trend among the youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), which increased by 3.6 percentage points between the second and third quarters of 2023. This reversal of a previously downward trend underscores the volatile nature of the job market and the need for sustained efforts to create employment opportunities.
Labor mobility statistics from the survey painted a picture of the challenging job market dynamics, with over half of the 530,000 individuals who transitioned from employment to unemployment status between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 remaining jobless by the second quarter of 2023. Additionally, the labor force saw an influx of 440,000 persons between the first and third quarters of 2023, with 60% finding employment during this period, reflecting both the opportunities and challenges within the Ghanaian job market.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR), represented by the Director of Research, Statistics, and Information Management, George Amoah, acknowledged the critical role of such statistics in government planning. He emphasized the ministry’s commitment to leveraging this data to ensure the provision of decent work for Ghanaians, highlighting the government’s dependency on accurate and timely labor statistics for effective policy-making and intervention design.
This comprehensive survey sheds light on the intricate dynamics of unemployment in Ghana, underscoring the need for targeted and effective policy interventions. As the country grapples with the challenges of providing meaningful employment opportunities to its educated youth, the data presented by the GSS serves as a crucial tool for stakeholders across the board to address the unemployment crisis strategically and sustainably. The path forward demands concerted efforts from government, industry, and educational institutions to create a more inclusive and equitable job market that can accommodate the aspirations and capabilities of Ghana’s youth.
Source: My Joy Online
