Two-thirds of Ghanaians are in vulnerable employment – GSS

The government’s statistician at the Ghana Statistical Service, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, has revealed that a significant portion of the employed population, specifically Two-Thirds, is engaged in vulnerable employment.

Addressing Ghana’s escalating unemployment rate of 14.7 percent during an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Professor Annim expressed concern that the situation might be more challenging than unemployment figures suggest.

He highlighted that a substantial portion of those employed in the Ghanaian economy face vulnerabilities in their employment status.

“When it comes to the Ghanaian economy, of those who are employed, two-thirds are in vulnerable employment. We have about 20,000 people who have been unemployed for a period of the seven quarters that we have and if you take the last six months, we have in excess of 1.3 million people who have stayed unemployed,” Professor Annim told host Bernard Avle on Citi News.

He further urged that national conversations should be directed at finding ways to improve the conditions of service of the employed.

He urged policymakers to focus on crafting solutions that address the multifaceted challenges faced by the employed population.

“And with all these categorizations that we have in terms of the unemployment spell, we have tertiary holders as part of it so these are the details that I always encourage that conversations should be segued to so that policymakers will be directed in their thoughts on how to deal with the unemployment situation.”

The Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey Quarter Three Labour Bulletin by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) highlighted that the average unemployment rate in the country had surged to 14.7 percent in the first three quarters of 2023. The revelation underscores the urgency for nuanced strategies to address both unemployment and the vulnerability of jobs in Ghana.