The fourth quarter dip in unemployment rates in Ghana: A systematic account of labour market activities in 2022

In this paper, we provide a summary of key indicators of the labour market and use statistical techniques to summarise their information and assess their implications for the labour market conditions and policies in Ghana. The analysis shows that there is significant distress in the labour market as about 260,000 people dropped out of the labour force, too discouraged and frustrated to look for work. Unemployment rate is highest among people with secondary education, followed by individuals with tertiary education and lowest among individuals with post-secondary non-tertiary education. At least half of the employed population is in self-employment without employees. On the gender dimension of the labour market dynamics, we show that women have the greater share of the level of employment but with poorer quality jobs compared to their male counterpart. In 2022, women earned an average of 66% of what men earned. For every 1 cedi earned by a man, women earned 34 pesewas less. Labour force participation is at 66.2 percent and lower among females. Participation spikes in first and third quarters driven by quarterly shifts in female labour force participation.