The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, has called for renewed efforts to make the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) fully functional, stressing the need for reliable and timely employment data to support labour market planning and government policy.
The Minister made the call during a working visit to the Labour Department in Accra, where he engaged management and staff on the Department’s operations, challenges and role in advancing the government’s employment and job creation agenda.
Agyekum said a fully functional labour market information system would strengthen the government’s ability to track employment trends and better understand developments affecting workers, employers and job seekers.
“The Department must move beyond routine administrative processes and position itself as a dynamic institution capable of responding effectively to the changing needs of Ghana’s labour market,” he said.
Aside from the GLMIS, the Minister charged staff of the Labour Department to ensure that their work translates into measurable outcomes and improved services. He urged management to establish clear performance targets for officers and regularly monitor and evaluate their performance.
He said the Department plays an important role in supporting employment through services including the registration and placement of job seekers, labour market information, vocational guidance, labour inspection and employer engagement. The Minister said these responsibilities required staff to demonstrate urgency, accountability and a strong commitment to service delivery.
The GLMIS is designed to provide a central platform for labour market information, bringing together data on job seekers, employers, vacancies, skills in demand, labour migration and other employment-related indicators. The system also provides access to labour statistics and job opportunities, while supporting job matching between employers and prospective workers.
The system is also expected to strengthen the work of Public Employment Centres by improving access to employment information and helping the Department better understand labour demand and supply across different sectors and regions. Its current platform provides job seekers with opportunities to create profiles and apply for vacancies, while employers and employment agencies can use the system to post and manage job opportunities.
Agyekum’s call therefore places renewed emphasis on turning the GLMIS into a more effective tool for employment policy and service delivery, particularly as the Labour Department works to improve its reach and capacity.
