Despite getting a degree, many young people are still finding it difficult to get a job.
As the jobless rate among Ghana’s youth soars, some graduates are accepting lower-paying jobs in the informal sector to sustain themselves whilst they continue the journey of hunting for their dream jobs.
Others have also opted to make their own opportunities by starting small businesses.
Since his graduation in 2019, Suleiman Abdul Latif has been searching for a suitable job opportunity in Real Estate Management, but has not succeeded.
The Kumasi Technical University graduate’s dream job of working for an institution or company related to his field of study is yet to become a reality.
“As a university graduate, your expectation is to get a job after your university education. But this is a case where you’ve left school for years and still struggling to secure a job. You will certainly be frustrated. It’s not easy for some of us; we are really struggling to survive after all the investment made in our education”, Suleiman said with a worried look.
To keep himself busy and also help pay the bills, the 30-year-old is now engaged in photocopy business at the Republic hall of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
“I was doing printing business before I stopped and went to school. Upon completion of my National Service and the job was not coming, I was left with no choice than to return to my friend and join him in the photocopy business. Right now, that is what I am surviving with”.
For Sa’adatu Mohammed, university certainly did not end the way she thought it would.
She was hoping employment opportunities in pharmacology would be waiting for her right after the one-year mandatory National Service.
But the 29-year-old is currently operating a small beads business by the road side whilst also waiting to secure a better job.
“Going through education for several years and expecting a better life after completion was the goal. But now, the dream is disappearing after years of being unemployed. It is really frustrating, especially when you see some of your colleagues living the dream”, Sa’adatu stressed.
Data from the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) indicates that only 10 percent of graduates secure employment within a year of graduation.
Figures from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations also state that each year, over 200,000 young Ghanaians including graduates, unskilled and semi-skilled individuals are on the lookout for jobs.
Though most graduates are finding it difficult to get a job, there are the likes of Mohammed Shahid who have decided to create their own opportunities.
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology graduate has begun a laundry business after facing rejections in his several job applications.
“Initially, I wanted to go for office work so I applied for several jobs including the ones below my educational level, but I didn’t receive any positive feedback. I realized that, some of my people who completed before me are also struggling to get a job. So, I resolved to start up this laundry business with the little I saved during my National Service. I just want to focus on growing this business”, Shahid noted.
Youth unemployment is a real problem in Ghana, and in the midst of the rising cost of living and no prospect of job offer after school, many graduates have been left frustrated.
Graduating from the tertiary level is usually fulfilling, but staying home for years for not securing a job after school could be traumatic for many young graduates.
With the high rate of graduate unemployment in the country, one would be fortunate to secure a job immediately after National Service.
Though frustrating, most of these young graduates are determined to grab any available opportunity to survive on.