The Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana, has expressed deep disappointment over the lack of emphasis on employment creation in the 2025 national budget, accusing government of failing to shift away from a macroeconomic policy framework that has consistently sidelined the country’s urgent job crisis.
In a strong statement issued as part of its review of the budget, the TUC called on government to “muster the courage” to set concrete employment targets, sector by sector and region by region, if it is truly committed to addressing the growing unemployment challenge facing Ghanaians, especially the youth.
“As part of the 2025 budget process, the TUC had called for a reset and change of the failed macroeconomic policy framework. Our objective was for a new model of economic management that would lead to faster growth and accelerate the creation of decent employment,” the statement said.
However, the TUC noted with concern that although the 2025 budget acknowledges the need to “reset our economic model,” it maintains the same framework that has failed to deliver meaningful employment outcomes in the past.
“The 2025 budget remains within the same business-as-usual macroeconomic policy framework as its predecessors. It sets targets for inflation and economic growth but, once again, completely ignores employment. It rests on the flawed assumption that once we tame inflation and the economy grows, good jobs will automatically follow,” the statement added.
Employment Must Be a Measurable Target
The TUC warned that Ghana cannot afford to continue ignoring employment as a measurable macroeconomic indicator. It emphasized that joblessness remains the number one concern for the country’s youth and must be addressed with urgency and transparency.
In its submission to the Ministry of Finance during the 2025 budget preparation process, the TUC said it had expressed support for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s 2024 manifesto promise to create “sustainable, decent and well-paying jobs” through “revolutionary and transformational” policies. The union said its endorsement was based on the NDC’s prioritization of employment in policy discussions.
The TUC highlighted three critical concerns it raised with government:
- The persistent absence of employment targets in previous and current budgets.
- The central role of the private sector in employment creation and the need for stronger policy and financial support.
- The consequences of inflation-targeting policies, which often result in high interest rates, making it harder for businesses to expand and hire.
Although the budget acknowledges that “our youth face an uncertain future with growing unemployment and hopelessness,” the TUC argues that government failed to translate this recognition into targeted, measurable solutions.
Commendable Initiatives, But Lacking a Clear Framework
The TUC commended several government initiatives in the 2025 budget, including the “Agriculture for Economic Transformation” programme, the promotion of Made-in-Ghana goods through public procurement, the Ghana Labour Export Programme, Women’s Development Bank, National Apprenticeship Programme, Digital Jobs Initiative, and Rapid Industrialisation Plan.
“These are laudable programmes that can contribute meaningfully to employment creation,” the union noted. “However, the budget was silent on the fundamental issues affecting employment creation in Ghana.”
A Call for Employment Data and Policy Coherence
The TUC further called on government to allocate sufficient resources to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and other relevant agencies to collect regionally disaggregated employment data. This, it stressed, would allow for independent and objective assessments of the country’s job creation performance.
“Ghana must move away from the usual answer that there is no data on employment. We need statistical evidence for job creation across all 16 regions,” the TUC urged.
It also called for a revision of Ghana’s national trade policy, which it said undermines domestic production and employment.
“Our trade policy is inconsistent with our employment objectives. It penalizes domestic producers and makes imports excessively lucrative. If we are serious about jobs, we must deliberately limit the importation of products we can competitively produce here,” the TUC warned. “We must nurture our domestic enterprises before exposing them to fierce competition. Otherwise, we risk killing them and the jobs they could create.”
Reframe National Dev Strategy
The TUC urged government to take bold steps in 2025 and beyond to reframe the national development strategy around employment. “This includes setting job creation targets, aligning macroeconomic policy with employment objectives, and offering greater support to the private sector,” the TUC said.
“For far too long, employment has been treated as an afterthought. It is time government gave it the attention it deserves—not just through speeches, but in the actual frameworks that guide national planning and budgeting,” the union emphasized.
