The Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) data from its Labour Force Bulletin on the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) has revealed that over 500,000 Ghanaians transitioned from employment to unemployment during the period 2022-2023.
The GSS study defined an unemployment spell as an uninterrupted period within which a person stayed unemployed although he had the capacity and willingness to work. The data shows a worrying trend in the employment situation in Ghana.
According to the GSS study, more than half, or roughly 280,000, of the 530,000 people who changed from being employed to being unemployed between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 were unemployed in the second quarter of 2023.
The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, noted that there was a reduction in the number of people who were unemployed in the second and third quarters of 2023. The figure was approximately 1.3 million people.
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“This number reduces to about 752,000 persons who, as of the third quarter of 2023, had not been employed.
From the last quarter of 2022 to the end of the last quarter of 2023, 191,000 persons remained unemployed,” he indicated.
Approximately 160,000 people changed from being employed to being unemployed between the second and third quarters of 2023, continuing the pattern.
The number of unemployed people during the first three quarters of 2023 was, on average, 240,000.
The AHIES Labour Force Bulletin, which offers quarterly labour force statistics for individuals aged 15 and above, is an essential information resource.
The data provides insights into several topics, including mobilities across labour force statuses, unemployment spells, annual and quarterly variations in employment and unemployment rates, and other labour statistics.
It is derived from the AHIES surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023.
Also, to aid in tackling unemployment, the data is nationally representative and intended to assist in policy and planning that are in line with Ghana’s national labour force development priorities.
The concerning patterns in unemployment highlight the need for focused initiatives and approaches to deal with the changing issues Ghana’s workforce is facing.