Dr Rashid Pelpuo, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, has said the John Mahama adminstration need to make sure 3 million people are employed.
According to the Labour Minister, the government is not setting a fixed employment target for this year, but they are focusing on job creation for about 3 million.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, January 12, Dr Pelpuo stated, “We will not be able to give a targeted number. He explained that even if current unemployment is addressed within a year, new job seekers will continue to enter the labour market. “If we solve it this year, next year, new people are going to finish university. They are going to be asking for more.”
“We have taken note that we need to make sure 3 million people are employed,” he said, clarifying that this should not be seen as a formal target. “I’m not saying that’s our target. That’s the 3 million people that we need to employ.”
The Labour Minister added, “Some of them are not satisfied with their work; they still need to get more jobs, or they don’t have a job at all. That segment of the population is our target right now.”
“Remember, I’m saying that that’s not a target. That’s not something we are doing. But we have noticed that this number is where we are going to go into and create the jobs.”
“For the period of time I’m talking about, we are targeting these 3 million people who are either employed and not happy with their employment, or they are not employed at all. These are people we believe are going to be the beneficiaries,” Dr Pelpuo explained.
“How much will be done this year is what I cannot tell you,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Mussa Dankwah, the Global InfoAnalytics Executive Director, has disclosed that Ghana’s economy is no longer the number one issue for voters.
According to Mussa Dankwah, Jobs have replace economy as voters’ top concern when he speaks to voters.
He noted that before the 2024 election, the three things that bothered voters were the economy, jobs, and education, adding that voters’ priorities have shifted.
Mussa Dankwah further stressed that he expects the NDC government to create jobs.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on January 6, Mussa Dankwah disclosed, “I expect them to create jobs; if you speak to voters today, the economy is no longer a threat to them. The economy is no longer the number one issue for them. It suggests that they are okay with the economy.”
“The issue is job creation. If you look at the last election, before the election, the three top issues that bothered voters were the economy, jobs, and education.”
He added, “On points one and three, which were the top three issues, they are having success in doing that. But the problem they have is job creation, which is the biggest threat. We’ve been told that it’s a national security threat for many years. It still remains. A chunk of the youth have no job.”
“Whatever the government needs to take to create jobs, the environment that will create jobs, they have to. There’s no excuse for them. The people will be disappointed, but in the second year, if nothing happens, I can tell them for a fact.”
Mussa Dankwah added, “So if they have any focus that they have to pay attention to, that should be job creation. And as to how they do it, I’ve been hearing them talking about mechanised agriculture and stuff. I don’t care what it means to get the jobs. The jobs must be there.”
They can’t resolve unemployment, no. They must be seen to have made substantial improvements or gains in reducing the rate of unemployment. If they don’t, that will be the biggest hurdle they have to confront next election.”