Ghana to lose skilled labour to greener countries

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) has warned that 14 per cent of Ghana’s energetic unemployed school leavers have decided to travel abroad for greener pastures should their situations remain the same in six in months.

The graduates have been unemployed in the labour market for a period of five years spanning from the time they completed their National Service, the Centre said in a research report it produced in partnership with Fondazione Edu, a foundation specialising in higher education in Africa.

The research was conducted within four months, from December 2015, and it investigated 425 respondents. Out of that, 225 were graduates while 200 were still tertiary education students.

Education experts and researchers have painted a grim picture about the growing graduate unemployment levels and warned that it is likely to climb to more than 271,000 at the close of 2015 from 200,000.

The researchers examined the connection linking tertiary education, the labour market and skilled unemployment in Ghana.

They also explored the linkage between academia and the prospects it offers for university graduates.

An independent Researcher, Mrs Clara Osei-Boateng, who presented the findings on the linkages involving academia, industry and the labour market situation, said the outcome proved that some of the graduates had been unwaged for a period of five years.

The findings show that 38 per cent of the graduates get employed by organisations where they had their National Service, while 17 per cent acquired jobs from applications to organisations. However, 10 per cent had work through personal contacts.

It reveals that six per cent of the graduates secure jobs via internship programmes, while five percent from Universities’ placement office.

However, another five percent return to their previous jobs.

It also shows that only five per cent are self-employed, while four per cent contact employers “blindly”.

The Director of National Council for Tertiary Education, Dr Emmanuel Newman, said there were many hindrances to job search, but he insisted that jobs opportunities abounded in the country.

“I don’t think graduates should have in mind or join an association called, ‘Unemployed Graduates Association, because when that happens, then they are already defeated,” he said.

“Just as Zoomlion Ghana has created jobs for many people, it is the same way that other jobs can be found at places that they are least expected.”