Accra, December 18, 2025 – Ghana’s youth aged 15 to 24 faced stark joblessness at 34.4% in the third quarter of 2025, Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu announced Thursday while releasing the Labour Force Statistics for Quarters 1 to 3.
Dr. Iddrisu highlighted that 1.34 million youth in this group were neither in employment, education, nor training (NEET), with youth labour underutilization remaining alarmingly high. “Youth labour outcomes remain challenging,” he said. “In Q3 2025, youth unemployment consistently exceeded the national average, with the highest rates (34.4%) among persons aged 15 to 24. About 21.5% of young people in this age group were NEET, representing a significant loss of productive potential.”
Nationally, unemployment hovered steadily: 13.1% in Q4 2024, dipping to 12.8% in Q1 2025, 12.6% in Q2, and rising slightly to 13.0% in Q3. “Jobs are increasing, but the unemployment rate is not falling in a sustained way,” Dr. Iddrisu noted. “New job creation is still not fast enough to absorb new entrants, especially young people and urban job seekers.”
Over 15 million people joined the labour force in Q3, with 87% employed—a net gain of more than 330,000 jobs from Q1 to Q3. Female employment outpaced male employment consistently. Services led as the top employer, followed by agriculture and industry, with urban areas showing higher employment than rural ones.
Yet quality concerns persist. More than two-thirds of workers remain in vulnerable employment, dominated by women, rural residents, and agricultural labourers. Own-account work (self-employed without employees) prevails, underscoring limited secure wage jobs and widespread informality. “Employment is growing, but unemployment remains largely unchanged,” Dr. Iddrisu emphasized.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com