The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment (MLJE) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) are to conduct a national Qualifications and Skills Mismatches Survey (QSMS) of persons employed in the country.
The month-long nationwide survey will begin in June and it forms part of a pilot survey conducted in the Greater Accra, Northern, and Upper West Regions from November to December 2023.
The objective of the survey, among others, is to measure qualifications and skills mismatches of persons employed.
As part of the preparatory activities of the survey, the MLNR engaged relevant stakeholders in Accra to seek their input.
The stakeholders were from institutions such as the National Labour Commission, Ghana Employers Association, Vice Chancellors Ghana, Ministry of Education and GSS.
Opening the programme, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Employment, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, said the survey was focused on examining the qualifications and skills mismatches of persons in employment.
He mentioned that the survey would facilitate the production of statistics on mismatches that could complement the existing measures of labour under-utilisation.
“As the lead policymaker on employment and labour related issues, the Ministry recognises the critical need for comprehensive data to address these mismatches,” he stated.
The QSMS, Dr Pelpuo said, would be Ghana’s first nationally representative survey to measure those gaps across formal and informal employment sectors.
He indicated that the survey would inform policy, align education with labour market needs, and ultimately enhance productivity.
The Minister urged both public and private organisations to cooperate with the Ministry and GSS to provide data for the exercise.
Dr Pelpuo said 450 data collection field officers had been recruited for the survey.
The Director of Policy Planning, Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation of MLJE, Gloria Bortele Noi, stated that the need for data to ascertain the skills mismatch had occasioned the survey, adding that the stakeholder engagement was crucial to enriching the questionnaire and the entire survey.
The Focal for MLJE at GSS, Mrs Jane Geraldo-Acolatse, said the GSS was mandated to collect data and official statistics for the country to accelerate national development.
She aslo noted that the survey was meant to help bridge the gap between academia and industry.
Mrs Geraldo-Acolatse said the data would help in policy planning and evidence-based decision making.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
