2023_Quarter_Labour_Statistics_Bulletin_full_report.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................ i 1. BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................................

TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................ i 1. BACKGROUND......................................................................................................................... 1 2. STATISTICS................................................................................................................................. 2 3. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS.................................................................................................... 33 Contributing Family Worker...................................................................................................... 33 Economically Active Population (Labour Force)................................................................... 33 Employed Persons..................................................................................................................... 33 Absorption Rate (Employment-to-Population Ratio)............................................................. 33 Labour Force Participation Rate............................................................................................. 34 Paid Employment...................................................................................................................... 34 Persons Outside the Labour Force........................................................................................... 34 Quarter-on-Quarter Change................................................................................................... 34 Self-Employment....................................................................................................................... 34 Self-Employed Without Employees (Own-Account Workers)................................................ 35 Share of Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (Youth NEET Rate).................... 35 Unemployed Persons................................................................................................................ 35 Unemployment Rate................................................................................................................ 35 Unemployment Spell................................................................................................................ 36 Vulnerable Employment........................................................................................................... 36 Work........................................................................................................................................... 36 Worked but Not Employed...................................................................................................... 37 Year-on Year Change.............................................................................................................. 37 4. LINK FOR ACCESSING TABLES................................................................................................ 38 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Labour force status, 2023 Q1 to Q3............................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Employed persons 15 years and older by sex, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3............................ 3 Figure 3: Employed persons 15 years and older by type of locality, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3........ 4 Figure 4: Labour force participation and absorption rates, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3...................... 5 Figure 5: Unemployment rate by sex, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3......................................................... 6 Figure 6: Unemployment rate by type of locality, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3..................................... 7 Figure 7: Unemployment rate by region, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3.................................................... 8 Figure 8: Unemployment, labour force participation and absorption rates by age group, 2023 Q3.................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 9: Number of unemployed youth (15 to 35 years), 2021 Q1 to 2023 Q3...................... 10 Figure 10: Youth unemployment rate by age group, 2021 Q1 to 2023 Q3............................. 11 Figure 11: Intensity of unemployment spell for unemployed persons, 2023 Q3...................... 12 Figure 12: Unemployment spell by sex, type of locality, education and age group, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3..................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 13: Reasons for being outside labour force, 2023 Q1 to Q3.......................................... 15 Figure 14: Year-on-year change in the number of employed persons, 2022 to 2023............ 16 Figure 15: Quarter-on-quarter change in the number of employed persons, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3.................................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 16: Year-on-year (2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3) and quarter-on-quarter (2023 Q2 to 2023 Q3) change in the number of employed persons by regions......................................... 16 Figure 17: Year-on-year percentage change in number of persons employed by region and sex, 2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3............................................................................................. 17 Figure 18: Quarter-on-quarter percentage change in number of persons employed by region and sex, 2023 Q2 to Q3................................................................................................ 18 Figure 19: Year-on-year percentage change in number of employed persons by region and type of locality, 2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3........................................................................... 19 Figure 20: Quarter-on-quarter percentage change in the number of employed persons by region and type of locality, 2023 Q2 to Q3................................................................ 19 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE i Figure 21: Year-on-year percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region, 2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3....................................................................................... 20 Figure 22: Year-on-year percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region and sex, 2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3......................................................................... 21 Figure 23: Year-on-year percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region and type of locality, 2022 Q3 to 2023 Q3..................................................... 21 Figure 24: Quarter-on-quarter percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region, 2023 Q2 to 2023 Q3....................................................................................... 22 Figure 25: Quarter-on-quarter percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region and sex, 2023 Q2 to 2023 Q3......................................................................... 22 Figure 26: Quarter-on-quarter percentage change in the number of unemployed persons by region and type of locality, 2023 Q2 to 2023 Q3..................................................... 23 Figure 27: Status of employment by sex, 2023 Q1 to Q3........................................................... 24 Figure 28: Main occupation of employed persons by sex, 2023 Q1 to Q3.............................. 25 Figure 29: Youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) by age group, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3......................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 30: Population 15 to 24 years not in employment, education or training (NEET) by region, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3......................................................................................... 27 Figure 31: Percent of employed persons in vulnerable employment by sex, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3.................................................................................................................................. 28 Figure 32: Percent of persons in vulnerable employment by region and sex, 2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3.................................................................................................................................. 29 Figure 33: Labour transitions across economic activity statuses in 2023 for employed persons in Q4 2022...................................................................................................................... 30 Figure 34: Labour transitions across economic activity statuses in 2023 for unemployed persons in Q4 2022........................................................................................................ 31 Figure 35: Labour transitions across economic activity statuses in 2023 for persons outside the labour force in Q4 2022................................................................................................ 32 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE ii 1. BACKGROUND The engagement with labour force characteristics remains indispensable despite the significant technological interventions that are contributing to the transformation of both national and global economies. Among the key labour force characteristics are skills development and matching, job creation, labour mobilities, conditions of work and its environment and sector and status of employment, especially among the youth. The importance of the labour force for sustainable development is articulated in the focus of Sustainable Development Goal 8 to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. Ghana, similarly, has signalled its commitment to improving the size, quality, productivity, and welfare of the labour force through legislative instruments such as the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1987; Labour Act, 2003; National Pensions Amendment Act, 2014; and Youth Employment Agency Act, 2015. The country has also implemented several complementary policy frameworks including the National Labour Force Policy (2013-2016), National Labour Migration Policy (2020-2024), and National Green Jobs Strategy (2021-2025). The Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2022-2025) focuses on creating prosperity and equal opportunities for all; and it highlights education and training, gender equality, and youth development as key focal areas. The Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) is the first nationally representative high frequency panel that provides quarterly data on the labour force. It is designed to provide disaggregated labour statistics to support policy and planning, in line with the national development agendas for the labour force. This bulletin presents quarterly labour force statistics for the population 15 years and older generated from the 2022 and 2023 AHIES data. It provides information on mobilities across labour force statuses, unemployment spell, yearly and quarterly changes in employment and unemployment rates and other labour statistics. These statistics are disaggregated by sex, type of locality, region, and selected socio-demographic characteristics. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 1 2. STATISTICS FIGURE 1: LABOUR FORCE STATUS, 2023 Q1 TO Q3 ** About 440,000 persons joined the labour force between 2023 Q1 and 2023 Q3, of which more than 60.0 percent were employed during the period. ** Note: The chart above was generated using a balanced panel data from 2023Q1 to 2023Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 2 FIGURE 2: EMPLOYED PERSONS 15 YEARS AND OLDER BY SEX, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Consistently, more females than males have been employed, with the difference averaging about 600,000 and 900,000 for 2022 and 2023 respectively. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 3 FIGURE 3: EMPLOYED PERSONS 15 YEARS AND OLDER BY TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 The number of employed persons in urban areas remained nearly the same in the first three quarters of 2023 after quarterly variations in 2022. The number of employed persons in rural areas increased for five consecutive quarters from 2022 Q2, before declining in the third quarter of 2023. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 4 FIGURE 4: LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION AND ABSORPTION RATES, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 The labour force participation rate increased significantly between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 but remained stable across the first three quarters of 2023. Consistently, the ability of the labour market to absorb or accommodate individuals seeking employment (absorption rate) increased from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 5 FIGURE 5: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY SEX, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 The average unemployment rate for the first three quarters of 2023 was 14.7 percent, with the rate among females consistently higher than males. The sharp increase in unemployment rate of females between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 has culminated in a wider unemployment gender gap in 2023 relative to 2022. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 6 FIGURE 6: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 The difference in the unemployment rates between urban and rural areas widened successively for the first three quarters of 2023. In the second and third quarters of 2023, the urban unemployment rate was almost twice compared to rural areas. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 7 FIGURE 7: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY REGION, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Across all quarters, four regions (Eastern, Bono East, Oti, and Upper West) recorded unemployment rates lower than the national rate. Conversely, Greater Accra and Ashanti regions consistently recorded unemployment rates higher than the national average during this same period. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 8 FIGURE 8: UNEMPLOYMENT, LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION AND ABSORPTION RATES BY AGE GROUP, 2023 Q3 Labour force participation and absorption rates peak for the ages 40 to 44 years with unemployment rates lowest for this age group. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 9 FIGURE 9: NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH (15 TO 35 YEARS), 2021 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 On average, more than three-quarters (77.4%) of the total unemployed persons in the first three quarters of 2023 comprise the youth aged 15 to 35 years (1,374,329). Between the first three quarters of 2022 and same period for 2023, youth unemployment increased by 14.6%. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 10 FIGURE 10: YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY AGE GROUP, 2021 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Youth unemployment for persons 15 to 24 years (29.7%) is 8.0 percentage points higher than for those 15 to 35 years (21.7%) GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 11 FIGURE 11: INTENSITY OF UNEMPLOYMENT SPELL FOR UNEMPLOYED PERSONS, 2023 Q3 Almost 200,000 persons experienced an unemployment spell of at least 12 months between 2022 Q1 and 2023 Q3. ** Note: The chart above was generated using a balanced panel data from 2022Q1 to 2023Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 12 FIGURE 12: UNEMPLOYMENT SPELL BY SEX, TYPE OF LOCALITY, EDUCATION AND AGE GROUP, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 13 Across all seven quarters (2022 Q1 to 2023 Q3), about 20,000 persons experienced an unemployment spell (i.e., they have consistently remained unemployed). This was highest among females (11,540), persons in urban areas (18,086), persons with secondary education (9,987) and persons 15 – 24 years (9,341). ** Note: The charts on unemployment spell above were generated using a balanced panel data from 2022Q1 to 2023Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 14 FIGURE 13: REASONS FOR BEING OUTSIDE LABOUR FORCE, 2023 Q1 TO Q3 Between 2023 Q1 and Q2, the percentage of persons outside the labour force because they were fully in education increased by 17.6 percentage points and marginally declined by 0.9 percentage points between quarters 2 and 3. The percent of persons who did some work but are not employed declined by 13.5 percentage points between Q1 and Q3 and further declined by 4.6 percentage points between Q2 and Q3. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 15 FIGURE 14: YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS, 2022 TO 2023** The year-on-year change in employment between 2022 and 2023 is highest for the second quarter of 2023. ** Note: The chart above was generated using a balanced panel data from 2022Q1 to 2023Q3 FIGURE 15: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3** The number of employed persons declined by over 180,000 between the first two quarters of 2022. The number of employed persons increased consistently for the first three quarters of 2023 with the highest change seen between 2022 Q4 and 2023 Q1. ** Note: The chart above was generated using a balanced panel data from 2022Q1 to 2023Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 16 FIGURE 16: YEAR-ON-YEAR (2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3) AND QUARTER-ON-QUARTER (2023 Q2 TO 2023 Q3) CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGIONS Western Region is the only region that had a decline in year-on-year employment while 10 regions, led by Oti Region recorded a decline in quarter-on-quarter employment. Upper East Region recorded the highest upward change in both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter change in number of employed persons. FIGURE 17: YEAR-ON-YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED BY REGION AND SEX, 2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3 Upper East Region recorded the highest year-on-year percentage change in employment for both males and females. Western and Greater Accra Regions recorded a negative year- on-year change in employment for males, while Oti recorded a negative year-on-year change in employment for females. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 17 FIGURE 18: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED BY REGION AND SEX, 2023 Q2 TO Q3 Eight regions had a negative quarter-on-quarter percentage change in employment for both males and females while three regions (Upper East, Greater Accra, and Upper West) had an increase in employment for both males and females. Oti Region recorded the highest quarter-on-quarter decline in employment for males (8.0%) while Oti and North East recorded the highest decline for females (5.1%). GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 18 FIGURE 19: YEAR-ON-YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3 Year-on-year change in number of persons employed in rural areas was higher than urban at the national level and in seven out of the 16 regions. All regions except Western recorded an increase in employment in urban areas on a year-on-year basis while two regions – Oti and Western – recorded a decrease in year-on-year employment in rural areas. FIGURE 20: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2023 Q2 TO Q3 On a quarter-on-quarter basis, employment decreased in both urban and rural areas in nine regions while four regions recorded increase in employment both urban and rural areas. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 19 FIGURE 21: YEAR-ON-YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION, 2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3 Eight regions recorded a decline in year-on-year unemployment, ranging from 3.6 percent in Upper East to 41.8 percent in Northern. Eight regions recorded an increase in unemployment between -2022 Q3 and 2023 Q3; highest in Western (100.9%) followed by North East (54.9%). GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 20 FIGURE 22: YEAR-ON-YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND SEX, 2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3 Seven regions recorded year-on-year increases in male unemployment led by Western (111.1%), Greater Accra (47.6%). Four regions had a decrease in both male and female unemployment. FIGURE 23: YEAR-ON-YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2022 Q3 TO 2023 Q3 Eight regions recorded year-on-year increases in unemployment in rural areas while 12 regions recorded increases in urban unemployment. Six regions (Western, Greater Accra, North East, Ashanti, Upper West, and Ahafo) recorded year-on-year increases in unemployment both rural and urban areas. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 21 FIGURE 24: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION, 2023 Q2 TO 2023 Q3 More than half of the regions recorded increases in quarter-on-quarter unemployment, with North East having the highest (61.6%). FIGURE 25: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND SEX, 2023 Q2 TO 2023 Q3 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 22 On quarter-on-quarter basis, five regions recorded an increase in unemployment for both males and females. North East Region recorded the highest increase in both male and female unemployment. FIGURE 26: QUARTER-ON-QUARTER PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS BY REGION AND TYPE OF LOCALITY, 2023 Q2 TO 2023 Q3 Western North Region recorded the highest decline in unemployment in the rural areas between the second and third quarters of 2023. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 23 FIGURE 27: STATUS OF EMPLOYMENT BY SEX, 2023 Q1 TO Q3 Females, ranging from 40.2% to 41.6%, were in non-agricultural self-employed without employees while males, ranging from 28.5% to 32.1%, were in agricultural self-employed without employees or self-employed with employees in either agricultural or non-agricultural activities. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 24 FIGURE 28: MAIN OCCUPATION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY SEX, 2023 Q1 TO Q3 In the first three quarters of 2023, males, ranging from 39.8% to 44.1%, were employed in agriculture, while females, ranging from 38.9% to 41.7%, worked in service and sales. Females had a much lower share of jobs as plant and machine operators or assemblers (averaging 0.3% across the first three quarters of 2023) than males (averaging 11.0% for the same period). GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 25 FIGURE 29: YOUTH NOT IN EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION OR TRAINING (NEET) BY AGE GROUP, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET) increased by 3.6 percentage points between quarters 2 and 3 in 2023, reversing a downward trend in the previous four quarters. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 26 FIGURE 30: POPULATION 15 TO 24 YEARS NOT IN EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION OR TRAINING (NEET) BY REGION, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Across all regions, NEET decreased between 2022 Q1 and 2023 Q3. Greater Accra is the only region that has consistently recorded a NEET rate higher than the national average across all seven waves. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 27 FIGURE 31: PERCENT OF EMPLOYED PERSONS IN VULNERABLE EMPLOYMENT BY SEX, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Vulnerable employment had been consistently higher for females than males by about 20 percentage points across all seven quarters. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 28 FIGURE 32: PERCENT OF PERSONS IN VULNERABLE EMPLOYMENT BY REGION AND SEX, 2022 Q1 TO 2023 Q3 Both Sexes Male Female 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Ghana 66.7 67.5 63.6 68.0 66.9 68.0 68.5 56.1 56.0 51.9 56.5 55.4 56.9 57.6 76.2 77.7 73.9 78.1 76.8 77.8 77.8 Ghana Western 65.2 63.5 58.3 63.0 61.6 62.8 63.3 53.6 48.8 44.8 45.9 45.9 47.9 48.8 75.8 76.5 70.8 77.9 75.8 77.1 76.0 Western Central 66.6 67.0 66.1 67.3 64.6 66.1 68.4 53.9 53.4 50.7 53.2 50.4 52.1 53.4 77.0 77.8 77.9 79.1 76.1 77.9 80.7 Central Greater Accra 45.6 47.5 43.7 45.5 49.1 48.5 47.7 29.9 28.7 26.8 23.6 31.5 30.3 28.8 59.2 63.3 58.7 63.6 62.9 63.4 63.1 Greater Accra Volta 65.6 72.0 64.2 70.9 70.5 70.8 72.9 53.1 62.6 54.5 58.2 57.2 57.6 60.5 75.6 79.6 72.0 80.6 80.6 80.5 81.9 Volta Eastern 68.2 68.7 66.8 68.1 68.1 66.8 67.9 55.7 54.8 50.6 54.7 54.5 52.9 54.6 78.5 80.5 79.9 79.0 79.3 78.1 78.4 Eastern Ashanti 62.8 62.6 54.0 62.2 60.1 61.3 60.8 51.0 50.6 38.9 49.6 46.3 47.6 48.4 73.1 73.2 67.8 72.9 72.0 72.9 71.4 Ashanti Western North 79.9 79.2 78.5 83.0 79.9 79.1 79.5 71.9 71.8 71.6 77.5 73.2 71.2 71.6 88.0 86.5 85.3 88.3 87.0 87.2 87.2 Western North Ahafo 76.1 72.6 72.1 81.4 78.0 77.1 76.7 67.8 62.8 64.9 75.9 68.6 67.7 67.2 84.2 81.6 78.3 86.2 86.3 85.5 84.7 Ahafo Bono 76.1 76.4 65.5 69.6 76.1 75.8 75.1 69.5 70.1 58.8 59.4 68.6 69.4 69.0 81.4 81.4 70.9 77.0 81.9 80.8 79.7 Bono Bono East 80.9 79.5 78.3 82.4 76.3 78.0 79.0 73.8 71.9 72.0 77.3 69.7 72.3 73.8 88.0 87.2 84.3 87.5 82.7 83.7 84.0 Bono East Oti 86.1 82.5 80.9 83.4 88.5 91.2 92.2 80.4 77.0 77.3 79.7 85.2 89.0 90.7 92.4 88.1 84.8 87.6 92.1 93.7 94.0 Oti Northern 79.0 82.9 78.5 84.2 83.9 85.1 86.6 71.0 76.0 73.7 79.6 77.2 79.9 81.8 86.7 89.6 83.2 88.9 90.1 90.1 91.3 Northern Savannah 86.4 88.5 86.7 90.6 84.9 88.3 90.3 82.4 84.8 82.6 86.7 80.5 84.8 87.6 90.8 92.4 90.9 94.4 89.0 91.7 92.8 Savannah North East 88.4 89.2 89.6 92.1 86.7 91.4 90.7 82.7 84.9 86.1 90.2 82.5 89.2 87.8 93.6 93.0 92.6 93.9 90.5 93.5 93.4 North East Upper East 78.0 75.0 80.0 82.5 77.7 79.1 81.8 70.3 62.8 72.3 76.3 70.8 72.0 75.7 85.2 86.0 87.0 88.7 84.2 86.4 87.6 Upper East Upper West 73.6 76.8 79.7 81.6 76.4 81.3 81.5 68.4 71.1 76.9 78.1 71.2 77.0 78.0 79.0 82.0 82.4 84.8 81.2 85.2 84.7 Upper West Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 Savannah and North East regions had the highest percentage of males and females in vulnerable employment. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 29 FIGURE 33: LABOUR TRANSITIONS ACROSS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY STATUSES IN 2023 FOR EMPLOYED PERSONS IN Q4 2022 Among the 530,000 persons who transitioned from employment to unemployment status, between 2022 Q4 and 2023 Q1, more than half (280,000) remained unemployed in 2023 Q2. Between 2023 Q2 and Q3, about 160,000 persons transitioned from employed to unemployed status. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 30 FIGURE 34: LABOUR TRANSITIONS ACROSS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY STATUSES IN 2023 FOR UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN Q4 2022 An average of 240,000 persons were unemployed over the first three quarters of 2023. About 60,000 persons who were unemployed in the second quarter of 2023 were employed in the third quarter. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 31 FIGURE 35: LABOUR TRANSITIONS ACROSS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY STATUSES IN 2023 FOR PERSONS OUTSIDE THE LABOUR FORCE IN Q4 2022 Among the 540,000 persons who transitioned from outside labour force to unemployment status, between 2022 Q4 and 2023 Q1, 410,000 (about three in every four) remained unemployed in 2023 Q2. Between the second and third quarters of 2023, about 130,000 persons moved from outside the labour force to unemployment status. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 32 3. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS Contributing Family Worker Contributing family worker refers to a person who helps in running an economic enterprise operated by a member of his or her family without payment of wages or salary. Excluded from this category are family members who work for pay, which should be classified as employees. Economically Active Population (Labour Force) The economically active population comprises all persons 15 years and older who furnish the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services. This covers persons 15 years and older who were either employed or unemployed seven days preceding the interview date. Employed Persons This refers to all persons 15 years and older, who engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit (either in cash or in kind) during the reference period. Within the reference period (7 days preceding the interview), these persons could be “at work” or “not at work” due to temporary absence. Employed persons include those who during the reference period: Worked at least one hour in their paid job or business activity, including self- employment; Had a paid job or business but did not work due to temporary absence for reasons such as illness, personal or family responsibilities, vacation, etc., and would go back to this job after the period of absence; Was engaged in a family business for payment in cash or in kind. Absorption Rate (Employment-to-Population Ratio) Absorption rate is the proportion of the working-age population (15 years and older) that is employed. The absorption rate provides information on the ability of the economy to create employment. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the country’s population is employed, while a low ratio means that a large share of the population is not involved directly in market-related activities, because they are either unemployed or out of the labour force. The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) is calculated as follows: GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 33 Labour Force Participation Rate Labour force participation rate (LFPR) is the proportion of the working age population (15 years and older) that is either employed or unemployed. The labour force participation rate is calculated as follows: Paid Employment Paid employment refers to work performed during the reference period for which wage or salary was received or expected to be received, either in cash or in kind. It includes persons who were temporarily not at work during the reference period but had work to return to and had received or expected to receive payment. Persons Outside the Labour Force This refers to persons aged 15 years and older who are neither employed nor unemployed (i.e., they are neither working nor available) during the reference period. There is a variety of reasons why some individuals do not participate in the labour force: such persons may be occupied with caring for family members; they may be retired, sick or disabled or attending school; or they may simply not want to work. Quarter-on-Quarter Change Quarter-on-quarter change as used in this report refers to the difference in employment and unemployment between the second and third quarters of 2023. Self-Employment Self-employment refers to a situation in which persons operate their own enterprise (e.g., a farmer, kenkey seller, or carpenter working in his/her own enterprise), or persons work in a business enterprise such as a farm or a service undertaking but were temporarily not at work during the reference period for any specific reason. A self-employed person does not work for a specific employer who pays him/her a salary or wage. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 34 Self-Employed Without Employees (Own-Account Workers) Self-employed without employees, also known as own-account workers, are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or more partners, hold the type of jobs defined as “self-employment jobs”, and have not engaged on a continuous basis any employees to work for them. Own account workers are a sub-category of the "self- employed". Share of Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (Youth NEET Rate) The share of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) conveys the proportion of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. The NEET Rate provides a measure of youth who are outside the educational system, not in training and not in employment, and thus serves as a broader measure of potential youth labour market entrants than youth unemployment, since the NEET it also includes young persons outside the labour force not in education or training. A high NEET rate suggests engagement in household chores, and care activities and signifies strong institutional barriers to access employment or training opportunities. The NEET also informs policymakers on youth not gaining professional experience in employment and not furthering their skills in education. The youth NEET rate is calculated as follows: Unemployed Persons Unemployed persons refer to all persons 15 years and older, who in the seven days preceding the interview date: Did not work and did not have work to go back to; and were available to work. This report uses the broad unemployment definition which relaxes the requirement that the person must be available and actively looking for work. This is because, in Ghana, as in many developing economies, work opportunities are limited, and potential workers may give up after unsuccessful periods of looking for work. Unemployment Rate The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons 15 years and older divided by the economically active population 15 years and older multiplied by 100. This is different GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 35 from the proportion of the population unemployed which is computed using the entire population 15 years and older (within and outside the labour force). It reflects the inability of an economy to generate employment for those persons who want to work but are not doing so, even though they are available. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the country’s population is unemployed, while a low ratio means that a large share of the population is involved directly in market-related activities, because they are employed. The unemployment rate is calculated as follows: Unemployment Spell Refers to an uninterrupted period within which a person has stayed unemployed. In the context of this bulletin, it is the state of being unemployed across the seven quarters (21 months). Vulnerable Employment Vulnerable employment is defined as the sum of the employment status groups of own- account workers and contributing family workers. They are less likely to have formal work arrangements, lack decent working conditions, adequate social security and “voice” through effective representation by trade unions and similar organisations. Vulnerable employment is often characterised by inadequate earnings, low productivity and difficult conditions of work that undermine workers’ fundamental rights. Note: Employees are referred to as employed persons with paid employment jobs under employment status category and are usually identified with more job security and better working conditions in general, whereas own-account workers and contributing family workers form two employment status categories regarded as vulnerable employment. While this is true in general terms, it is important to note that not all employees have basic elements of decent work such as coverage of social security and/or social dialogue just as not all own-account workers and contributing family workers are in a precarious or vulnerable situation. Thus, while the share of own-account workers and contributing family workers is a valuable and reasonable proxy to measure vulnerability, it is nevertheless an imperfect one. Work Work refers to any activity performed by a person 15 years and older to produce goods and services for use by others or for their own use. That is, the engagement in work is associated with the production of goods and services regardless of whether the work done was GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 36 voluntary, non-voluntary, apprenticeship or for one’s own final use or not. This could be an activity that the person was remunerated for or otherwise within the reference period (7 days preceding the interview). Worked but Not Employed This refers to an activity within the reference period, performed by persons 15 years and older to produce goods and services for use by others or for their own use without pay or profit. Year-on Year Change Year-on year change as used in this report refers to the difference in employment and unemployment between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 37 4. LINK FOR ACCESSING TABLES Detailed tables on the quarterly labour statistics can be accessed from: https://statsghana.gov.gh/ahies/page/ahies.html or by scanning the QR code below: GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 38 GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE 39