Keypoints:
- Youth joblessness hits 22.5 percent in Ghana
- Women outpace men in job participation
- GSS urges skills reforms and credit access
GHANA is grappling with what experts warn is an entrenched youth unemployment crisis, with more than one in five young people unable to find work despite modest improvements in job creation.
The July 2025 edition of the Quarterly Labour Statistics, published by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Thursday, shows the country’s average unemployment rate dipped slightly to 13.6 percent in 2024 from 14.6 percent in 2023. But the report stressed that thousands remain stuck in long-term joblessness.
Youth bear the brunt
Government statistician Alhassan Iddrisu said the problem is most severe among the young, with 22.5 percent of Ghanaians aged between 15 and 35 unemployed.
‘The data reveals that the challenge remains most pronounced among the youth, underscoring persistent pressures on first-time jobseekers and graduates despite the broader gains in employment,’ Iddrisu said.
He added that many of the jobs being created are informal and insecure, leaving large numbers without stability or career progression.
Gender gap shifts
The GSS report also pointed to significant gender dynamics in Ghana’s labour market. Female employment consistently outpaced male employment throughout 2024, widening the gap to more than 1.1 million in the final quarter of the year — up from 632,000 in the first quarter of 2022.
‘This is a sign that female labour participation and job creation for women have been strong in absolute terms,’ Iddrisu explained.
Call for urgent reforms
To tackle the challenge, the GSS urged government to scale up apprenticeship and graduate employment schemes, while strengthening job placement services. It also called for a renewed focus on technical and vocational education to align training with demand in the digital, industrial and green economy sectors.
The report highlighted the importance of affordable credit for small and medium-sized businesses, especially those owned by women and young people, as a way to drive sustainable job creation.
Echoes of World Bank warning
The findings mirror concerns raised earlier this month by the World Bank in its ninth Economic Update for Ghana. The study, titled Addressing Labour Market Challenges and Opportunities in Ghana’s Economic Landscape, stressed that Ghana’s structural reforms must prioritise private-sector-led growth to absorb its fast-expanding youth population.
Both the GSS and World Bank caution that without urgent reforms, Ghana risks leaving its youngest generation stranded — a situation many analysts warn could pose long-term risks to stability and economic progress.
