Ghana’s unemployment rate eased to 13.6 percent by the end of 2024, marking a modest one-percentage point improvement from the 14.6 percent recorded in 2023.
The figures, released in the latest Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (Fourth Quarter Labour Statistics 2024) by the Ghana Statistical Service, signal progress in the country’s labour market but also highlight ongoing issues beneath the surface.
While the overall numbers point to positive momentum, the survey reveals that unemployment remains most acute among the youth. A striking 22.5 percent of Ghanaians aged 15 to 35 are currently unemployed, underscoring persistent pressures on first-time jobseekers and new graduates despite broader employment gains.
The data for the fourth quarter of 2024 paints a complex picture: total employment rose year-on-year by 1.15 million to reach 12.73 million. However, the number of unemployed persons also climbed by roughly 200,000 compared to the same period in 2023. This suggests that while job opportunities are expanding, the rapid growth of the labour force continues to outpace the economy’s ability to absorb new entrants, leading to continued weaknesses in job quality.
Gender dynamics have also shifted, with female employment consistently outpacing male employment through the end of 2024. The gap widened from about 632,000 in the first quarter of 2022 to approximately 1.12 million by the fourth quarter of 2024, highlighting strong gains for women in the workforce.
Despite these advances, the report draws attention to persistent disparities in unemployment and underemployment by sex and locality, pointing to uneven job quality and differing access to stable, formal work. The Ghana Statistical Service further flags high levels of NEET (youth not in employment, education, or training) across age cohorts, identifying this as a major driver of youth exclusion and long-term underutilisation of the country’s labour potential.
Overall, the data suggests that while Ghana is making headway in tackling unemployment, significant challenges remain, particularly for young people and in ensuring job quality and equitable access across society.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
