Ghana

1.Series

Title:

Registered unemployment.

Starting year:

1956.

2.Agency making the initial registrations of unemployed persons

Name of the agency:

Public Employment Centres of the Labour Department.

Type of agency:

Public service under a national authority.

Name of the national authority:

Labour Department, under the Ministry of Manpower, Development and Employment.

Location of the local offices making the registrations:

In 66 of the most urbanized centres in the country.

Type of services provided/administered by the agency:

  • Assisting job-seekers to find jobs;
  • Assisting employers to find workers;
  • Vocational guidance;
  • Other: administration of workmen’s compensation and labour complaints; settlement of industrial disputes.

    3.The following information is registered about a person:

  • Name;
  • Sex;
  • Address of usual residence;
  • Date of birth;
  • Citizenship;
  • Nationality/ethnic group;
  • Educational/vocational attainment, with three categories distinguished. Links to ISCED have been established;
  • Current/past activity status;
  • Type of work (occupation) of past or present job with eight groups distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established (major groups level);
  • Type of work (occupation) of job sought, with 8 groups distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established (major groups level);
  • Name and address of present or previous employer or work place;
  • Type of business (industry) of present/previous employer/workplace, with 9 groups distinguished. Links to ISIC, rev.3 have been established (major groups level);
  • Previous registrations with the agency/service.

    4.Criteria used for inclusion of a person in the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Being without work (R) and (S);
  • Seeking work (R) and (S);
  • Availability for work (R) and (S);
  • Age (lower limit: 15 years; upper limit: 55 years) (R) and (S);
  • Citizenship (R) and (S);
  • Being resident in the country (R) and (S);
  • Previously employed (R) and (S);
  • Other: physical appearance (R).

    5.Criteria used for exclusion of a person from the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Death (R) and (S);
  • Commencement of a (new) job (R) and (S);
  • Failure to contact the agency/service (R) and (S).

    6.Definition of unemployed persons used for the statistics

    Persons with or without job training/education who fall between the ages of 15 to 55 years, are seeking work and are available for work by reporting regularly to any of the Public Employment Centres in the country.

    7.Updating of the registers

    The registers are updated quarterly.

    8.Unemployment rates

    Statistics from the registers are not used to obtain unemployment rates.

    9.Type of statistics of unemployed persons produced

    Reference period:

    Quarter.

    Frequency of production:

    Quarterly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Educational level;
  • Occupation;
  • Industry;
  • Geographic characteristics;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Citizenship (nationals/non nationals);
  • Duration of unemployment;
  • Other: physical characteristics.

    Form of publication:

    On paper, for general audience.

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Labour Department (Employment Information Branch).

    Title and periodicity of the publication(s):

    Employment Market Report, quarterly.

    10.Methodological information about the statistics

    Agency responsible:

    Labour Department (Employment Information Branch).

    11.Comparisons with unemployment statistics from other sources

    Comparisons have not been made with unemployment statistics from other sources.

    12.Major changes since the start of the statistics

    Up to now there have been no major changes in legislation, capacity of the agency and/or administrative procedures which had a significant influence on the statistics; however, a new labour law is in preparation which is expected to influence the statistics.