Int’l World Men Day: 1.1m males unemployed in Ghana

In celebrating International World’s Men Day, a release by Ghana Statistical Service (GSS shows about 1.1 million males 15 years and older that were employed in the first quarter of the year were either unemployed (429,607) or out of the labour force (716,030) in the second quarter.

In percentage terms, 9.4% of employed males in the first quarter were unemployed in the second quarter with an additional 15.7% outside of the labour force.

Subsequently, in the Upper East region, seven out every ten, representing 69.0 percent males employed in the first quarter were no longer employed in the second. This is the highest rate in the country distantly followed by the North East region which also represent 43.9 percent.

The statistic was generated from the 2022 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) to commemorate the International Men’s Day this year which is under the theme “Helping Men and Boys”.

According to the report, the Mean hourly earnings for males in the second quarter was GH¢9.9, falling slightly from GH¢11.0 in the first quarter. The AHIES 2022 Q1 and Q2 Report estimates that 600,893 males 15 to 24 years were not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in the second quarter, an increase of over 100,000 from the 463,260 recorded in the first quarter.

Also, data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census further indicates that 3,335,604 males, who are 15 years and older are not literate i.e. cannot read and write with understanding in any language with almost half a million (459,110) boys 4 to 14 years currently not attending school.

Again, one in every five males, indicating 19.5 percent from 6 years and older don’t have access to ICT device in the three months preceding of Census Night (April to June 2021).

“The Savannah (42.7%) and North East (41.3%) regions have the highest proportion of males not using ICT with figures about twice the national average”, the report noted.

Source: Eric Nii Sackey