We've created 1,096,404 jobs in 15 months - Employment Minister

Between January 2017 and March 2018, the New Patriotic Party government has facilitated the creation of 1,096,404 jobs in both the public and private sectors of the Ghanaian economy, the Minister of Employment, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah has said.

According to the minister, these jobs were only in the formal sector and "so what happened in the informal sector is not even accounted for here."

Mr Baffour Awuah said this at the launch of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) in Kumasi on Tuesday morning.

He said youth unemployment has become one of the most critical challenges of the Ghanaian national life today and if zeroed in on graduate unemployment, it is even worse.

Adding, the minister said the urgency to create jobs for the teeming graduates has become paramount considering the fact that less than 10 percent of graduates are able to find jobs after national service, according to a study by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER).

The study, he said further shows that it takes up to three years for a large number of graduates to secure descent employment even after national service.

Throwing more light on the statistics on unemployment, the minister said the Labour Field Survey conducted in 2015 and launched in 2017 shows that employment rates in Ghana as of 2015 stood at 11.9 percent of the labour force.

This, he said further indicates that 25 percent of the unemployed are within the youth category with about 11.7 percent of jobs even underemployed.

Mr Baffour Awuah said the emergence of the Nation Builders Corps was therefore “timely and accurate as it addresses the frustration, confusion and lack of jobs and direction for our youth.”

“Mr President, the good news is that your government has made significant strides in addressing unemployment situation in Ghana.

“Between January 2017 and March 2018, Mr President, your government has facilitated the creation of 1,096,404 jobs in the both the public and private sectors through various interventions,” the minister said.