According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the unemployment rate in Ghana rose from 8.3% in 2017 to 14.7% in 2023.

The NDC indicated that this increase reflects a troubling trend of rising joblessness, poverty, hopelessness, and despair nationwide.

The opposition party stated that the Ghana Statistical Service’s Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey shows 2.1 million Ghanaians, or 14.7% of the labor force, are unemployed—an increase of over 1 million since 2017.

“At a media engagement on 25th August 2024, the NPP presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, repeated his claim that the NPP has created 2.3 million jobs in 7 years and that unemployment is declining. He offered no evidence for his claims because they are untrue.
“Additionally, many in employment cannot make ends meet. Of the 11.2 million people employed in 2023, an overwhelming 8.2 million (almost 70%) are in vulnerable work with low-paying jobs, no social protection, and poor working conditions. They are trapped in a perennial cycle of poverty. This is the category that we call “working poor”. This is also the truth”.
National Democratic Congress (NDC)

In a statement signed by Goosie Tanoh, Chairman of the NDC’s Employment and Jobs Creation Committee, the party noted that from 2017 to 2023, Ghana’s economy employed less than 45% of those entering the labor force each year.

Accordingly, the NDC accused the NPP of creating over 170,000 new unemployed individuals each year, leading to more unemployment than job creation during their eight years in power.

The party stressed that unemployed Ghanaians doubled from 1 million in 2017 to 2.1 million by 2023. “As many as 7.3 million Ghanaians (24.5% of the population) are multi-dimensionally poor, while a whopping 8.4 million people go without food daily”.

The NDC indicated that Dr. Bawumia’st figures on employment are misleading and disrespect the 56% of new labor force entrants who cannot find jobs.

This according to the opposition party, includes 1.3 million young people who are “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” (NEET).

NDC Critiques NPP’s Economic Growth Claims

Furthermore, the opposition NDC stated that the reality is Ghana’s “so-called economic growth” under the NPP reflects irresponsible borrowing and taxation rather than genuine production.

The opposition party expressed concern that graduates from tertiary and specialized institutions face a job market unable to absorb them.

Meanwhile, artisans, farmers, and entrepreneurs are witnessing their livelihoods disappear as rampant inflation diminishes their already limited incomes and reduces their ability to create jobs.

Accordingly, the NDC pledged that President John Dramani Mahama and the party have a clear, actionable strategy to reverse the NPP’s dismal employment record.

“Our strategy rests on five clear pillars. We will modernize the Legal and Institutional Environment to accelerate decent job creation. This will include accelerated implementation of the Ghana Labour Market.
“Information System, updating the Labor Bill 2024 into an Employment Act to replace the existing Labor Act 2023, and putting in place a Bilateral Labor migration framework to support safe, orderly and regular labor migration of Ghanaians to other countries, facilitate access to decent work abroad, and ensure respect for human rights and fundamental labor rights for Ghanaian workers who migrate”.
National Democratic Congress (NDC)

The NDC also committed to launching the ‘Aspire 24’ program, aimed at equipping Ghanaian workers and enterprises with the values, mindset, skills, tools, work ethic, and incentives needed to enhance productivity and succeed in a 24-hour economy.

Additionally, the NDC announced plans to establish a National Employment Trust (NET).

This trust will collaborate with Enterprise Support Organizations to provide financial and technical assistance to start-ups and growth-stage SMEs, turning them into engines of growth and job creation in Ghana.

The opposition party also pledged to launch the “Levelling-Up” program, which will include several initiatives.

These initiatives will involve establishing a Women’s Bank, reforming and enhancing pensions for workers in the informal sector, and providing digital skills training for individuals with disabilities.

The NDC vowed to form the National Employment Coordination Committee, including representatives from the Government, labor, employers, students, and the informal sector, to aid the Minister of Employment in strategy coordination and implementation.

The party also acknowledged the difficulties in building a strong employment ecosystem amid the economic decline. “However, these challenges are surmountable”.

The NDC stated that through deliberate policy interventions focused on a 24-hour economy, it aims to create 1.7 million jobs between 2025 and 2029 and reduce unemployment to below 5% by 2034, if not sooner.

The party stated that the Mahama government will implement bold, practical policies to transform Ghana’s economy and create jobs for the unemployed and first-time labor market entrants.