Jobs are expanding, but not for all

The World Bank’s latest Ghana Economic Update paints a sobering picture of a nation whose economic growth is not translating into meaningful progress for its people, particularly women and the youth.

While GDP figures may suggest a country on the rise, the reality on the ground tells a different story: one of persistent inequality, stagnant wages, and a labour market that is failing to deliver quality jobs.

Women, in particular, remain trapped in the margins of Ghana’s economy. They are overrepresented in low-productivity roles such as informal trading, subsistence farming, and domestic work. These positions come with significant pay gaps and limited opportunities for advancement.

They offer little in the way of income security, social protection, or career progression. The result is a cycle of economic vulnerability that not only stifles individual potential but also undermines national development.

The barriers women face are not merely economic. They are structural. From limited access to capital and training to cultural norms that restrict mobility and leadership, the odds are stacked against them.

Even among educated women, the mismatch between qualifications and available jobs means that many are underemployed or forced into roles far below their skill level. This is not just a gender issue. It is an economic one. When half the population is unable to fully participate in the labour market, the country loses out on innovation, productivity, and growth.

The youth are also being left behind. Ghana’s working-age population is expanding rapidly, yet job creation has not kept pace. Between 2012 and 2023, the country added 720,000 jobs in industry and services but lost 470,000 in agriculture. Urban centres absorbed 2.4 million more working-age individuals, yet real wages fell by three percent. The result is a generation running on a treadmill, working hard but going nowhere.

An estimated one million young Ghanaians now live abroad in search of better prospects. This brain drain is a damning indictment of the country’s failure to provide viable pathways for its youth. Declining participation in the workforce among young people signals not just economic frustration but a loss of faith in the system itself.

The consequences of these twin failures, gender inequality and youth disenfranchisement, are profound. A labour market that excludes women and fails to engage the youth is one that cannot sustain long-term growth. It breeds social unrest, deepens poverty, and erodes the very foundations of national progress.

What Ghana needs now is bold reform. Policies must be crafted to attract private investment, raise productivity, and build stronger bridges between education and employment. Gender-sensitive labour policies, targeted youth employment programmes, and a renewed focus on middle-skilled sectors like manufacturing and construction are essential.

Economic growth without inclusion is a hollow victory. If Ghana is to truly prosper, it must ensure that its women and youth are not just counted in the statistics but empowered in the workforce. Anything less is a betrayal of potential and a risk the country can ill afford.