Unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 remained high in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest labour statistics released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The data were presented by the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, during the release of the Labour Force Statistics 2025, Quarters 1 to 3 in Accra on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
Dr Iddrisu noted that while there were marginal improvements in overall labour market participation, a significant number of young people continued to struggle to find employment over the period under review.
He explained that youth unemployment remains one of the most persistent challenges in the labour market, driven largely by limited job opportunities, skills mismatches, and the slow absorption of new entrants into the workforce.
According to him, about 1.34 million young people in this age group were not in employment, education, or training, with youth labour underutilisation remaining high.
Data from the third quarter showed that many young people were either unemployed or engaged in vulnerable forms of employment, including informal and short-term jobs that offer little security. The situation was more pronounced among urban youth, where competition for limited formal-sector jobs remains intense.
Dr Iddrisu also highlighted that graduates and first-time job seekers are among the most affected, as employers increasingly demand prior work experience and specialised skills. As a result, many qualified young people remain unemployed for months or even years after completing their education.
He stressed the need for targeted policies to address youth unemployment, including expanded skills training programmes, stronger linkages between education and industry, and increased investment in job-creating sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and digital services.
He further noted that own-account work—self-employment without employees—continues to dominate the labour market, underscoring the limited availability of secure wage employment and the persistence of informality. Unemployment, he said, remained relatively stable but elevated, particularly among young people.
“The national unemployment rate edged down slightly to 12.8% in Q1 2025 from 13.1% in Q4 of 2024, eased further to 12.6% in Q2 2025, and then rose to 13.0% in Q3 2025. The key message here is that jobs are increasing, but the unemployment rate is not falling in a sustained way. New job creation is still not fast enough to absorb new entrants, especially young people and urban job seekers. Youth labour outcomes remain challenging. In Q3 of 2025, Youth unemployment consistently exceeded the national average, with the highest rates (32.4%) among persons aged 15 to 24. In addition, about 21.5 percent young people in this age group were not in employment, education, or training (NEET), representing a significant loss of productive potential,” he added.
Youth unemployment continues to be a major concern for policymakers, given its wider social and economic implications, including increased poverty, heightened social vulnerability, and added pressure on households.
The Ghana Statistical Service, therefore, called for sustained collaboration between government, the private sector, and educational institutions to reverse the trend and improve youth labour outcomes.
