Accra, Dec. 18, – An estimated 13.3 million out of Ghana’s 15 million labour force were employed over the first three quarters of 2025, resulting in a decline in the national unemployment rate from 13.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 to 12.8 per cent in 2025.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) Quarterly Labour Statistics released on Thursday, the services sector recorded the largest employment gains at 6.1 per cent, followed by agriculture at five per cent and industry at 2.5 per cent.
Across the three quarters of 2025, more than 330,000 additional persons secured employment compared with the first quarter. Female employment, estimated at 7.2 million, consistently exceeded male employment of about six million during the period.
With respect to locality, urban areas registered the highest employment levels throughout the three quarters. The widest disparity occurred in the second quarter of 2025, when urban employment surpassed rural employment by approximately 1.49 million persons.
However, the data showed that unemployment was relatively lower in rural areas. Urban unemployment averaged 15.1 per cent, 5.5 percentage points above the rural unemployment rate of 9.6 per cent.
Regionally, the Western, Central, Greater Accra, and Ashanti Regions persistently recorded unemployment rates above the national average of 13 per cent. Conversely, the Volta, Bono, and Northern Regions registered reductions in unemployment over the period.
Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, noted that the private sector saw strong employment in transport, insurance, and banking, while public sector jobs were concentrated in education and public service delivery.
He advised government to reinforce apprenticeship and school-to-work transition initiatives, expand access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthen labour protections in agriculture and rural communities.
Dr. Iddrisu further urged enhanced regional and district-level labour market planning, using quarterly labour force statistics to target interventions where unemployment, underemployment, and skills mismatches are most acute.
He emphasised the importance of scaling up training, internships, and apprenticeship schemes, particularly for youth moving from school into employment, and encouraged private sector actors to improve job quality and skills utilisation by aligning workers’ roles with their qualifications and experience.
For households and individuals, he advocated continuous skills development and lifelong learning, especially in high-growth areas such as services, digital occupations, and modernised agriculture.
The Government Statistician also underscored the need for gradual formalisation of self-employment, including better record keeping, skills upgrading, and participation in support programmes.
GHBUSS
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