Ghana’s unemployment levels will continue to remain high if government does not take serious steps to close the existing gap between industry and academia.
That’s according to the Ghana Employers’ Association. Information available shows that in 2018, unemployment rate in Ghana was at approximately 6.71 percent of the total labour force.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of a country’s labour force that is without jobs, but is available to work and actively seeking employment.
Research has shown that Ghana’s unemployment rate is above the worldwide unemployment rate, and compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries and other regions, Ghana has a relatively average rate of unemployment.
Meanwhile, the world of work is experiencing profound changes as a result digitization and technological advancement.
This is complemented by major changes through the production of goods and delivery of services, among others. The future of work therefore stands to impact significantly on employers and their businesses as well as employment relations.
The Ghana Employers’ Association is therefore of the view that the continuous changes in the world of work require significant efforts in redesigning skills and labour market policies to address the foreseeable challenges that are likely to emerge.
According to them, policies and measures must be targeted at constraints related to skills development for the future, by adopting new approaches to the country’s various education and training institutions.
In an interview with Citi Business News, CEO of the Ghana Employers Association, Alex Frimpong, said the situation must be addressed.
“For skills development we need to really look at our science, technology, and mathematics education because that is where creativity and all the things you need for inventions really start from”.
“We need to really look at how we can improve that segment of our education. If you are training and you are not taking into account the needs of the labour market then what exactly are you training for. So it is very important that academia and industry work together to address this growing challenge”.
