Employers in Ghana are calling for major government policies to be assessed for their potential impact on jobs before implementation, as many Ghanaians struggle to find work and businesses face decisions that affect their ability to hire and retain workers.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has reported that national unemployment averaged 12.8% during the first three quarters of 2025, while the rate among young people aged 15 to 35 averaged 21.9%.
Behind these figures are graduates searching for their first jobs, skilled workers waiting for an opportunity and families struggling to support relatives who cannot find work. For those already employed, the concern is whether their jobs are secure and their earnings can cover rising household needs.
The Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA) says creating jobs must be a direct goal of economic policymaking, rather than something government expects to happen automatically when the economy grows.
Its President, Nana Dr Emmanuel Adu-Sarkodee Afriyie, is proposing an Employment Impact Test (EIT) for major fiscal, tax, regulatory and industrial policies before they are introduced.
The test, he maintains would require policymakers to consider how proposed decisions could affect existing jobs, the creation of new ones, the cost of employing workers, business competitiveness, investment and youth employment.
Under the proposal, where a policy is expected to cause significant job losses, government should show why the wider public benefits justify those losses, whether less disruptive alternatives have been considered and what support would be available to affected workers and businesses.
The proposal does not mean that every government policy must create jobs or that necessary regulations should be abandoned. Rather, the GEA wants government to consider the possible effects on employment before making decisions that could affect workers and businesses.
Employers question the link between stability and jobs
The GEA’s proposal reflects a concern about whether Ghana’s economic policies are creating the conditions businesses need to invest, expand and employ more people.
At its 2026 annual general meeting (AGM), themed “Macroeconomic Stability, Policy Predictability and Employment Creation in Ghana,” the association said macroeconomic stability, important as it is, cannot by itself generate the level of private investment and employment Ghana requires.
In practical terms, a stable economy does not automatically mean that a company will open a new branch, a factory will take on more workers or a young person will find a job. Businesses must also have the confidence and capacity to invest and expand.
The GEA’s proposed test would require policymakers to consider whether major decisions support that process or could make it harder for businesses to grow and employ people.
For workers, the consequences can be direct. A policy that increases the cost of doing business could affect recruitment or expansion, while a predictable policy environment may give businesses greater confidence to make long-term investment decisions. The actual effects would depend on the policy and the circumstances of each business.
The association wants employment to become part of the calculations government makes before introducing major fiscal, tax, regulatory and industrial measures.
TUC says growth must improve workers’ lives
The GEA’s concerns echo those repeatedly raised by organised labour, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which has consistently called for economic growth to deliver jobs and better living conditions.
At the 2026 May Day celebration on May 1, the TUC made the issue central to its theme: “Pivoting to Growth, Jobs and Sustainable Livelihoods Beyond Macroeconomic Stability.”
TUC Secretary-General Joshua Ansah said the success of economic policy should be judged by whether it creates jobs, raises incomes and gives people a more secure future.
“The real test of economic policy is whether it improves the lives of workers and citizens. Does it create jobs? Does it raise incomes? Does it secure the future? Does it build sustainable livelihoods?” he asked.
“If it does not, then stability, however important, remains incomplete.”
This message from the TUC aligns with the GEA’s position that macroeconomic stability alone cannot deliver the investment and employment Ghana needs. While employers want policies that support business investment and job creation, organised labour is pressing for growth that improves workers’ incomes, conditions of work and livelihoods.
For both groups, the question is what economic progress means for people trying to earn a living and businesses trying to sustain jobs.
Having a job is not always enough
The TUC says the employment challenge extends beyond people who cannot find work. Many who have jobs still struggle to make ends meet.
At the May Day celebration, Mr Ansah said some workers remained underpaid, insecure and insufficiently protected. Even those working full time, he noted, could struggle to afford food, rent, transport, healthcare, utilities and education.
This raises a concern beyond the number of jobs created: whether those jobs provide enough income and security for workers to support themselves and their families.
Mr Ansah questioned why an economy that had grown consistently for more than three decades had failed to create enough good jobs for people willing and able to work.
He argued that growth based largely on producing and exporting natural resources could not, on its own, provide decent employment at the scale Ghana needs.
“Employment must remain central to economic policy,” he said, adding that the quality of work should be treated as a development metric and sustainable livelihoods used to judge economic governance.
The TUC’s position broadens the debate raised by the GEA. Assessing whether policies create or threaten jobs is one part of the challenge; ensuring that employment provides decent working conditions and a reasonable standard of living is another.
TUC calls for employment policy review
The TUC also appealed to government to revise Ghana’s National Employment Policy, launched in 2015 to promote decent, productive and freely chosen employment for all Ghanaians able and willing to work.
Mr Ansah said many people who wanted to work still could not find decent jobs. He called on government to work with social partners, including employers and organised labour, to revise the policy as part of efforts to address jobs and livelihoods.
A review could provide an opportunity to examine why employment opportunities remain inadequate and how government, businesses and workers’ representatives can better coordinate their efforts.
It would also bring renewed attention to how employment goals are incorporated into decisions across the economy, rather than treated as a responsibility of only one ministry or sector.
Turning economic stability into opportunities
The GEA’s proposed Employment Impact Test and the TUC’s call for a revised employment policy approach the jobs challenge from different directions, but both focus attention on what economic policies deliver in practice.
The GEA wants government to consider the effects of major decisions on employment before implementing them. The TUC wants economic growth to provide more decent jobs, better incomes and sustainable livelihoods.
The GSS figures show the scale of the challenge, with unemployment among people aged 15 to 35 averaging 21.9% during the first three quarters of 2025.
For a young person searching for work, a family supporting an unemployed graduate or a worker worried about losing a job, economic stability matters most when it helps create real opportunities and greater security.
The proposed test would make a difference only if it influences policy decisions before they are implemented. A review of the National Employment Policy would also need to lead to practical measures and measurable results.
Ultimately, the challenge is to ensure that Ghana’s economic growth does more than improve headline indicators. It must also help businesses create jobs and enable workers to earn a living, support their families and plan for the future.
