Ghana Statistical Service unemployment rate inaccurate and a lazy research work - ILAPI

Policy think tank, Institute and Policy Innovation (ILAPI Ghana) has described the 12 percent unemployment rate given by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) as inaccurate.

A 2015 Labour Force Survey (LFS) report has revealed that over one million Ghanaians above age 15 are unemployed.

The first 2015 LFS estimates the total population of the country to be 27,669 million, made up of 47.7% males and 52.3% females with a dependency ratio of 81.3.

About 13.7 million people are above age 15 and eligible for employment, the report said.

About 14 million are employed, one million unemployed, three million are not identified in the labour force, and these people are either pregnant, house wives, disabled, pensioners among others. Paid employees are a little over 1.8 million.

The report said a total of 11.9 percent were unemployed and it is higher for females (12.5%) relative to males (11.5%). But the statement issued and signed by Peter Bismark Kofie, President of ILAPI described the research work as a ‘’lazy’’ work and further condemned it.

‘’This is a lazy research conducted by the service. Poor indicators were used to ascertain the figure and should never be used by any policy planning and implementations. The rate do not reflect what has happened and happening in the employment arena.’’

The statement indicated that the rate of ‘’unemployment exceeds the rate and must not be conducted and rated through dreams and mere assumptions and brainstorming. The statistical service has failed to provide the right data for policy formulation and programs.

12% is about 1 million Ghanaians. This figure does not tally with the research conducted by the IEA- Ghana. It is sad to have the statistics for 2015 while we are in 2017.

How can this help policy makers in their plannings? ‘’

Below is the full statement Press statement.

Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation. (ILAPI-GHANA) Unemployment Rate of 12% by the Ghana Statistical Service is inaccurate.

We hereby condemn the research by the Ghana statistical service on the 2015 labour survey of the 12% unemployment rate given.

This is a lazy research conducted by the service. Poor indicators were used to ascertain the figure and should never be used by any policy planning and implementations.

The rate do not reflect what has happened and happening in the employment arena.

Unemployment exceeds the rate and must not be conducted and rated through dreams and mere assumptions and brainstorming.

The statistical service has failed to provide the right data for policy formulation and programs. 12% is about 1 million Ghanaians.

This figure does not tally with the research conducted by the IEA- Ghana.

It is sad to have the statistics for 2015 while we are in 2017. How can this help policy makers in their plannings?

It would bad for one to use this rate to make projections. The statistical service is inefficient to providing accurate data for all.

We reject this survey as an institute on behalf of all Ghanaians. The research methods and the methodologies administered are not the best of it kind.