The Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) has revealed data indicating that out of the 11.39 million Ghanaians employed by the third quarter of 2023, 6.44 million were females, while 5.52 million were males. This data, derived from the 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES), consistently shows that more females than males have been employed, with the difference averaging about 600,000 to 900,000 for the years 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Despite the increase in female employment, the unemployment rate among females rose from 17.5% in the second quarter of 2023 to 17.7% in the third quarter, while the unemployment rate for males remained stable at 10.9% during the same period. The average unemployment rate for the first three quarters of 2023 was recorded at 14.7%.
The report highlighted a widening unemployment gender gap in 2023 relative to 2022, attributing this to a sharp increase in the unemployment rate of females between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.
In terms of sectors, the study revealed that the most dominant sector of employment for females by the end of the third quarter was the services and sales sector (41.7%), while for males, it was the skilled agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector at a rate of 39.8%.
Furthermore, the study noted a significant difference in job distribution between males and females, with females having a much lower share of jobs as plant and machine operators or assemblers (averaging 0.3% across the first three quarters of 2023) compared to males (averaging 11.0% for the same period).
Additionally, it was disclosed that more females were engaged in vulnerable employment compared to males, with a consistent difference of about 20 percentage points across all seven quarters. By the end of the third quarter of 2023, 77.8% of employed females were in vulnerable employment compared to 57.7% of employed males.
Vulnerable employment is characterized by informal work arrangements, lack of decent working conditions, inadequate social security, and limited representation by trade unions, often resulting in inadequate earnings, low productivity, and challenging working conditions that undermine workers' rights.
The AHIES, which provides quarterly data on the labour force, is designed to offer disaggregated labour statistics to support policy and planning in line with national development agendas.