The Quarter 3 Labour Statistics report, released by the Ghana Statistical Service, has shed light on the recent changes in employment trends within the Ghanaian economy in 2022.
According to the report, a significant number of individuals who were previously employed in the industry sector have made a transition to the Agriculture and Services sectors in Q1, amounting to a total of 217,000 individuals.
In particular, the Agriculture sector has seen a net increase of approximately 54,000 workers, while the Services sector has gained more than 38,000 employees from the industry sector across all three quarters.
Furthermore, the report indicates that there has been a notable shift from formal employment to informal employment, with around 155,000 workers transitioning from formal to informal employment in both the second and third quarters, following the trend set in the first quarter.
These statistics provide valuable insight into the evolving job market landscape within Ghana and its impact on the wider economy.
“However, more than 89,000 employed persons in the informal sector in the first quarter transitioned to and remained in the formal sector in the second and third quarters.”
Unemployment rates ranged between 13.4% and 13.9% across the three quarters, and it remained primarily an urban phenomenon. The report also found that the transition from informal employment to unemployment was, on average, five times more common than the movement from formal employment into unemployment.
“Across the three quarters, about 157,000 persons experienced an unemployment spell, with close to 124,000 gaining employment in Q3 out of more than 377,000 persons who were unemployed in the first and second quarters. Additionally, almost 90,000 persons outside the labour force in the first quarter transitioned to unemployment status in the second quarter and remained unemployed in the third quarter.”
The report also showed that the number of persons who are unemployed and multidimensionally poor remained at an average of about 615,000 across the three quarters, with a marginal increase of close to 20,000 more persons between the second and third quarters. However, the number of persons unemployed, food insecure, and multidimensionally poor decreased by 78,000 between the first and second quarters but increased by almost 55,000 in the third quarter.
Additionally, the report noted that among the top five regions with the highest NEET rates in the third quarter were Savannah (27.8%), North-East (24.3%), and Upper East (24.2%).
“These regions had the highest percentage of young people who were not in employment, education, or training (NEET), which raised concerns about the country’s future workforce.”
Speaking during the launch of the report, the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim called for “a reflection on the industry sector given that it is losing workforce to the agricultural and service sectors.”
