Gov’t Targets 3 Million Unemployed and Underemployed Ghanaians in 2026 – Labour Minister Explains
The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, has explained that the government is not setting a fixed number of jobs to create this year. Instead, the government is focusing on about 3 million people who are either unemployed or not happy with their current jobs.
He said this while speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show. When he was asked if his ministry had a clear number of jobs to create this year, he said it was not easy to give such a number because of how unemployment works. “We will not be able to give a targeted number,” he said.
Dr. Pelpuo explained that even if the government helps people get jobs this year, more people will be looking for jobs next year. “If we solve it this year, next year, new people are going to finish university. They are going to be asking for more,” he said.
This means that the job market keeps growing as more students graduate every year. Because of this, the government cannot say one clear number of jobs it will create in a year.
Instead of focusing on numbers, the government has decided to focus on people. “We have taken note that we need to make sure 3 million people are employed,” he said.
However, he quickly explained that this does not mean the government has promised to create exactly 3 million jobs. “I’m not saying that’s our target. That’s the 3 million people that we need to employ,” he added.
These 3 million people include two groups. First are people who do not have jobs at all. Second are people who already have jobs but are not happy with them and want something better. “Some of them are not satisfied with their work; they still need to get more jobs, or they don’t have a job at all. That segment of the population is our target right now,” he explained.
The minister made it very clear that the number 3 million should not be seen as a promise. “Remember, I’m saying that that’s not a target. That’s not something we are doing. But we have noticed that this number is where we are going to go into and create the jobs,” he said.
This means the government is using the 3 million figure only to know where to focus its job programs, not to make promises.
Dr. Pelpuo also said that all job creation programs by the ministry are being planned with these people in mind. “For the period of time I’m talking about, we are targeting these 3 million people who are either employed and not happy with their employment, or they are not employed at all. These are people we believe are going to be the beneficiaries,” he said.
However, he admitted that he cannot say how many jobs will be created this year. “How much will be done this year is what I cannot tell you,” the minister said.
What this means for job seekers
This statement means that the government knows there are many people in Ghana who are struggling to get good jobs. Some have no jobs at all, while others are working but are not satisfied. The government says it is working on plans to help these people, even though it cannot promise a fixed number of jobs in one year.
For many young people, including graduates and workers looking for better opportunities, this is a sign that job creation is still a key issue for the government.
As more students finish school every year, the demand for jobs will keep increasing. The big question now is how fast and how well these job programs will help the 3 million people who need better work.
