Coronavirus: 42,000 employees were laid off during lockdown - Akufo-Addo

Over 42,000 employees in private institutions were sacked early last year; as well as a total of 770,000 workers had their wages reduced when Ghana was hit with the coronavirus pandemic.

The above was disclosed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo today, March 9, 2021, during his first State of Nation Address.

He noted that this was brought to bear in a survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service.

President Akufo-Addo said, “COVID-19 business tracker survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service in collaboration of UNDP and the World Bank, the COVID-19 has led to job loses with many Ghanaian businesses and firms being forced to cut costs by reducing staff hours, cutting wages and in some cases, laying off workers."

He added that "This survey again shows that about 770,000 workers had their wages reduced and about 42,000 employees were laid off during this 3-week partial lockdown on those in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi metropolitan areas…”

President Akufo-Addo was quick to add that, inasmuch as private workers were more affected, government workers were secured and are still at post working.

"Government however succeeded in protecting the jobs and incomes of all public sector employees. Indeed, the cost of COVID-19 has been enormous. Our overall economic growth rate for 2020 was reviewed downwards from 6.8% to 0.9%."