According to the Ghana Statistical Service, the country’s unemployment rate has dropped to 13.6 from 14.6 in 2024.
The figures, captured in the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (Fourth Quarter Labour Statistics 2024), reflected a modest one-percentage point improvement.
However, the GSS cautioned that the gains mask persistent challenges, particularly among young people and first-time jobseekers.
Despite the overall decline, the report showed that 22.5 percent of Ghanaians aged 15 to 35 remain unemployed.
This is because of graduates and young entrants struggle to find sustainable work.
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The data shows that total employment rose to 12.73 million in Q4 2024, representing an increase of 1.15 million jobs compared to the same period in 2023.
However, the number of unemployed persons also rose by about 200,000 year-on-year, signalling rapid labour force growth that continues to outpace job absorption.
This, analysts suggest, indicates that while opportunities are expanding, the economy still faces structural weaknesses in generating sufficient high-quality jobs for new entrants.
Another striking trend is the widening gender gap in employment.
Female employment has consistently exceeded male employment throughout 2024, with the gap growing from about 632,000 in Q1 2022 to roughly 1.12 million in Q4 2024.
The GSS notes this as evidence of strong labour participation by women, though disparities remain in terms of job quality, stability, and access to formal employment across both sexes.
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