One in every four, representing 24.2 per cent of young persons between 15 and 24 years were not engaged in education, employment, or training during the third quarter of 2022, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says.
The 24.2 per cent represents 1.5 million young people between the ages 15 and 24 years old.
A statement issued by the GSS from the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022 Third Quarter Labour Statistics Report issued to commemorate this year’s World Youth Skills Day, and copied to the Ghanaian Times said the figure represented 1.5 million persons in the age group.
The World Youth Skills Day, is celebrated annually on July 15 to mark the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship and the theme for the this year’s programme is “Skilling teachers, trainers, and youth for a transformative future.”
The report revealed that “More than half of the youth NEET are in Greater Accra (312,394), Ashanti (300,161), Eastern (131,341), and Central (129,182) regions.”
The GSS said in 13 out of the 16 regions, more than 20 per cent of young persons, 15 to 24 years were not in education, employment, or training.
“Eastern Region (30.0 per cent) has the highest proportion of youth, with a figure about twice that of Bono Region (14.5 per cent) which has the lowest proportion,” the report stated.
The 2021 Population and Housing Census indicated that one in every 10 (11.1per cent) persons 15 to 24 years, representing 1.4 million young persons, never attended school.
It said a slightly higher percentage of females (12.0 per cent) in the age group never attended school compared to males (10.2 per cent).
“In the Savannah (43.4 per cent), North East (36.8per cent), Northern (33.3 per cent), Upper West (20.9 per cent) and Oti (20.7 per cent),” the report said.
The statement said in all, the five regions accounted for almost half (665,508) of the young persons that never attended school.
“The unemployment rate for young persons 15 to 24 years recorded during the census was 32.8 per cent with a higher rate for females (36.7 per cent) compared to males (29.3%),” the report said.
The unemployment rate for the age group was above 30 per cent in 12 out of the 16 regions led by the Upper West Region (39.0 per cent) and followed by Western North (38.4 per cent).
BY TIMES REPORTER
