The origin of the word employment is a French word “employer” which means ‘to use’ and the origin of the word employer is from the Latin word “implicare” meaning ‘to engage’. On the other hand, the word occupation implies a person’s line of work often requiring specific skills, training, or expertise, the origin of the word occupation is a Latin word “occupatio” which means ‘to occupy’. So employment means a contractual relationship between an employer and employee where work is exchanged for money and other benefits.
Being employed means having a job for which you receive pay. However, if your skills and qualifications aren’t being fully used, you’re underemployed. If your pay doesn’t match your skills and qualifications, it’s still underemployment or unfair wages. If you’re working in a field you didn’t train for, it’s a mismatch.
As you work, you build your career through various experiences. Career growth can happen in two ways: vertically, by moving up the ladder in a single organization, or horizontally, by gaining skills and experience across different roles and industries or organizations.
Any employment that takes unfair advantage of the worker in an exploitative way is called Slavery. An exploitative way means a way that is unjust, harmful, or abusive. Examples of slavery include unfair wages, excessive work hours without compensation, poor working conditions, and a lack of benefits. Gainful employment is employment that provides a person with a stable income, financial security, and personal fulfillment. It usually offers fair compensation, utilizes one’s skills and ability, provides an opportunity for growth and development, and supports a decent standard of living.
In civilized countries, employment is typically not considered a favour, it’s a mutually agreed-upon exchange between an employer and employee, where the employer provides salary and benefits, and the employee provides labor, skill, and time, it is barbaric to pay money to be employed. In third-world countries like Ghana where we have not fully evolved from our animal ways to what a proper human being should be like people have to pay money to be employed. I even learnt that, for the ladies, some even have to continuously have sex with their employers to get a job or keep their jobs, and some actually compete to do so due to economic pressure. That’s sad and the lowest level a human being can be reduced to and the highest form of abuse to be subjected to.
I’ve also learned that in some jobs in Ghana and other African countries, people must take out loans to cover their basic needs because their salary isn’t enough. If a job doesn’t cover basic needs like shelter, food, clothing, and transportation, it’s not proper employment. That’s where the government comes in. To understand whether a country’s leaders are responsible, check their minimum wage. If the official daily minimum wage cannot cover daily basic needs, you know it’s a bad country with irresponsible leaders. In such bad countries, the government’s policy position is that employment is the responsibility of the private sector, not the government, and the unemployment rate is high.
In well-governed nations, the government prioritizes employment. Therefore, they set hourly rates and a high minimum wage. They also structure the system to match skills with jobs, reducing underemployment. Highly skilled workers (Category A), such as engineers, scientists, and doctors, are rarely unemployed. The higher workers are paid, the more the government earns from taxes, which make up a significant portion of government revenue in these countries. Think about it: if someone earns GH₵1,000 monthly and pays 10% in taxes, the government gets GH₵100. But if someone earns GH₵50,000 monthly and even pays just 5% in taxes, the government collects GH₵2,500. So would a smart government wish the people to be paid more or less?
This strategy boosts tax revenue, which funds essential services and strengthens the economy. When citizens have more money, high-end companies are drawn to the country. Have you ever seen the leaders of Japan or Singapore trying to convince ordinary Ghanaians to invest in their countries like our leaders do in theirs? They don’t need to; people go there because the statistics speak for themselves. Countries like Denmark (56.1%), Finland (57.3%), the U.S.A. (45.5%), and Australia (40%) get a lot of their government revenue from taxes because they pay workers well and keep unemployment low, especially for skilled professionals.
Many young Africans risk their lives crossing the sea to Europe because they know they can find gainful employment there. Countries like Canada and Australia have skilled visa programs, allowing people with degrees in fields like engineering or medicine to apply to live and work there. These countries understand that it’s a win-win situation: the more skilled workers they have, the more those workers will be paid, and the more tax revenue the government will collect. You can apply for jobs in these countries from Ghana without needing to know anyone.
However, in Ghana, it often takes connections, protocols,’kominies’, and clandestine processes to get ahead.
Here’s how probability works: if 100 people are looking for jobs and only 10 get one, it’s not the fault of the 90 who didn’t. It’s a problem with the system. But if 90 people got jobs and only 10 didn’t, then you could blame the 10. The high unemployment rate in the country isn’t the graduates’ fault; it’s the system’s fault. These same people would find jobs quickly in better countries. It’s only in Ghana that engineers struggle to find work. It’s ridiculous! The Youth Employment Agency is helping people find low-paying jobs like housekeeping and security in Arab countries, which is basically modern slavery.
Meanwhile, highly/skilled young people with degrees in engineering and computer science are unemployed, and the government complains about taxes. It’s a shame and pathetic!
By: Ing. Richard Mawuli Amegatse
