1.5m youth between 15 and 24 neither employed nor under training – GSS Report

According to a report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), findings revealed that 24.2% of young individuals aged 15 to 24, which translates to 1.5 million people, were not engaged in education, employment, or training during the third quarter of 2022.

The report, titled "Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022 Third Quarter Labour Statistics Report," highlights that over half of the youth not engaged in education, employment, or training are concentrated in the Accra (312,394), Ashanti (300,161), Eastern (131,341), and Central (129,182) regions.

In 13 out of the 16 regions, over 20% of young individuals between 15 and 24 years old were found to be out of education, employment, or training.

Among young people aged 15 to 24, the Eastern Region had the highest proportion at 30.0%, which is approximately twice the figure of the Bono Region at 14.5%, representing the lowest proportion.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census reported that 11.1% of individuals aged 15 to 24, equivalent to 1.4 million young people, had never attended school. Within this age group, a slightly higher percentage of females (12.0%) were found to have never attended school compared to males (10.2%).

The regions with the highest proportions of young people who never attended school were the Savannah (43.4%), North East (36.8%), Northern (33.3%), Upper West (20.9%), and Oti (20.7%) regions. Together, these five regions accounted for almost half (665,508) of the young individuals who had never attended school.

The unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24, as reported during the census, stood at 32.8%, with a higher rate for females (36.7%) compared to males (29.3%).

The unemployment rate for this age group exceeded 30% in 12 out of the 16 regions, with the Upper West Region having the highest rate at 39%, followed by Western North at 38.4%.

These findings were released in conjunction with the observance of World Youth Skills Day, celebrated annually on July 15th, to emphasize the importance of equipping young individuals with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship. The theme for 2023 is "Skilling teachers, trainers, and youth for a transformative future."

Source: GNA