Mr Bright Wireko-Brobby, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, says jobseekers must possess the requisite skills and the right attitudes to fit into vacancies created by the job market.
He said it was interesting to note that in many cases people were unemployed because they did not know where their skills were needed.
Mr Wireko-Brobby was speaking at the opening of a three-day Ghana Job Fair, organised by the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration, in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in Accra.
It is on the theme: “Connect, Explore and Advance your Career,” and targets young jobseekers, entrepreneurs, technical and vocational artisans with the aim of tackling unemployment and underemployment, improve skills and promote entrepreneurship among the youth.
Mr Wireko-Brobby said government was interested in all activities and programmes that facilitated the creation of employment opportunities for jobseekers, particularly the youth, and that it had put in place various programmes and initiatives to reduce unemployment in the country.
He said key among such initiatives were the Planting for Food and Jobs, Nations Builders’ Corps, MASLOC, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, the Youth Employment Agency and stimulus packages for businesses.
He said there were also numerous initiatives by private enterprises to invest in the economy and expand the capacity of the private sector, including the informal economy, to create jobs.
In order to consolidate the gains from the implementation of previous job creation interventions, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had targeted to create one million jobs, Mr Wireko-Brobby said.
“In view of this, the relevant institutions are working feverishly to get the work done,” he said.
He said nonetheless, job creation required the collective effort of government and the private sector, and that whereas government worked to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive, it was expected that the private sector would take advantage to grow businesses and create the jobs.
“It is clear that Government alone cannot do it all and definitely requires support from individuals and organisations,” he said.
So far, the periodic Job Fairs had been able to support some jobseekers to acquire additional or new soft skills and connect applicants to potential employment.
Mr Wireko-Brobby said despite the achievements over the years, “I wish to suggest that we evaluate what its impact has been and how it has contributed to addressing youth unemployment and irregular migration.”
He said the evaluation could even identify which part of the initiative was working best and what kind of corrective measures were required to achieve value for money.
”The Ministry, on its part, will strengthen its monitoring role and document the gains of the intervention to facilitate evidence-based decision-making,” he added.
Mr Benjamin Woesten, the Head of the Ghanaian-German Centre, said the programme intended to bridge the skills gap between the labour market and people who completed universities.
He said it was also to provide direct job marching opportunities for jobseekers and that it was a dialogue platform to enable them to get in touch with employers without any intermediaries.
Mr Woesten noted that the combination of skill development and job marching opportunities was unique and new to the Ghanaian labour market and hopeful of its success.
The event declared over 1,074 job vacancies from 62 companies.
The Ghana Job Fair 2021, Hybrid Edition, will feature seasoned speakers from the private sector and give participants rare opportunities to engage with speakers through in-person, vertical workshops, and panel discussions all on one platform.
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