Economic Aspirations of Ghanaian Youth

Abstract

In Ghana and elsewhere in many African countries, there is a growing crisis of unemployment and underemployment among the youthful population. The Ghana Statistical Service Population and Housing Census (2021) shows that nearly one in five young people in Ghana is unemployed. Indeed, many young men and women in Ghana face severe challenges transitioning from school to work. The employment challenge became severe following the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which, according to the ILO, posed significant challenges on three fronts: (i) disruptions to education, training, and work-based learning; (ii) increased difficulties for young jobseekers and new labour market entrants; and (iii) job and income losses, along with deteriorating quality of employment. The crisis has also brought attention to the vulnerabilities of young entrepreneurs and the lack of social protection coverage for young men and women running small-scale enterprises. Many small-scale businesses operated by young men and women have been impacted by the crisis, leading to loss of income, businesses, and assets. In view of the renewed focus on promoting decent employment among the youth in post post-COVID-19 era, highlighted in SDG 8, there is growing recognition of the need to centre the economic aspirations of young people in the design and implementation of youth employment policies and programmes. What are the economic aspirations of young men and women in Ghana today? And what set of policies is needed to enable young men and women in Ghana to realise their economic aspirations around employment in a post-COVID-19 era? To answer these questions, we consider the findings of a multi-country research programme on youth aspirations, resilience, and adaptability using data collected from a nationally representative sample (n=1639) of young men and women in both rural and urban Ghana.