AHIES report: Unemployment figure could worsen – Labour expert

Labour Analyst, Austin Gammey, has urged government to fix the prevailing economic challenges in order to curb the unemployment situation in the country.

The quarterly Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) report released on Thursday, September 1, 2022, indicated that Ghana’s labour force thus 15 years and older hovering 380,000 are with food insecure, multi-dimensionally poor and unemployed.

Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim who disclosed this in a presentation added that the unemployment rate in the country has increased by 0.5 percentage points.

He explained that between the first and second quarter of 2022, food insecurity dropped by 7.0 percentage points, while multidimensional poverty dropped by 2.6%.

Professor Kobina Anim also stated that the Savannah region has the highest percent of triple burdened persons.

However, speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah Thursday, Mr. Gammey said the unemployment situation should be expected as a result of the economic situation the nation finds itself in.

“Employment and unemployment is a function of how well the economy is performing. Therefore, if admittedly all of us have agreed that we have a challenge in our economy and its performance. Obviously, it should translate that we will have a huge backlog of unemployment on our hands,” he stated.

Mr. Gammey indicated that if employers should let go workers as result of the poor handling of the economy the situation will be worse.

“Therefore, you should rather be surprised that the number is not so staggering. Because if everything is to be reported and people should feel free for some form of layoff, it will be quite staggering rather than the way it is now.

“So, I am not surprised at all. It must be admitted by all of us that it’s purely by the performance of our economy and that is just about it,” the labour analyst reiterated.