Ghana’s growth isn’t creating good jobs – World Bank

Ghana’s economy is expanding, but for much of its workforce, progress remains elusive.

Many workers are “running on a treadmill” constantly shifting between jobs without seeing real gains in income, job security, or upward mobility.

This is according to the World Bank’s latest Ghana Economic Update, which paints a sobering picture of the country’s labour market over the past decade.

Between 2012 and 2023, Ghana added 720,000 jobs in the industry and services sectors, but lost 470,000 agricultural jobs.

While urban centres absorbed an additional 2.4 million working-age individuals, real wages declined by 3% during the same period.

The report highlights several troubling trends. Job creation has not kept pace with population growth.

Youth participation in the labour force is falling, and approximately one million young Ghanaians now live abroad—many in search of better opportunities.

Sectors traditionally associated with upward mobility, such as manufacturing, construction, and domestic services, remain among the slowest growing.

At the same time, the return on education is weakening, as the number of graduates increasingly outpaces the availability of quality, well-paying jobs.

Women continue to face deep disparities, remaining overrepresented in low-productivity, low-wage roles and experiencing persistent pay and opportunity gaps.

Ghana’s working-age population is projected to grow by 4.8 million reaching 25.3 million by 2035.

To meet this challenge, the World Bank is urging bold, targeted reforms to attract private investment, boost productivity, and create stronger pathways from education to employment.

Without decisive action, the report warns, millions of Ghanaians may continue to “work hard but go nowhere.”