Employment Ministry to conduct survey on qualification and skills mismatches

The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment (MLJE), in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), will in June, this year, conduct a nationwide Qualification and Skills Mismatches Survey (QSMS) among Ghanaian workers.

This will help to assess the extent of the mismatch between workers’ qualifications and their job requirements to inform policy.

The QSMS will be the first nationally representative survey aimed at gathering comprehensive data on qualifications and skills mismatches in Ghana’s labour market to guide policy direction and enhance workforce productivity.

Qualification mismatches occur when workers hold qualifications that do not align with the education level or field required for their current jobs. Mismatches may involve over-education, under-education, or discrepancies in field of study.

Mr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, announced this during a stakeholder engagement in Accra on Wednesday.

The meeting brought together labour and employment sector experts to discuss findings from a pilot survey and outline plans for the national rollout.

Mr Pelpuo said the absence of reliable data on qualification and skills mismatches posed a challenge to national development efforts, particularly in educational planning and labour productivity.

“This survey is timely and crucial,” he said, adding that: “The prime motive of any school-going individual is to transition into employment that matches their qualifications or skills.” “The data from this survey will enable us to streamline education and skills training with the demands of the labour market and industry.”

He noted that timely and accurate data on skills mismatches were vital for Ghana’s development agenda, given the long-standing challenge it posed to policymakers and labour stakeholders.

Mr Shadrack Mensah, Director of Research, GSS, said the Service had initiated the recruitment of enumerators through its online portal and would soon commence training and orientation sessions.

“We are currently mobilising enumerators and preparing them for the field. They will be taken through a detailed manual to ensure consistency and quality in data collection,” he stated.

The Ministry and the GSS expressed optimism of the critical insights that that the QSMS would provide to inform policies that align educational outputs with labour market demands, ultimately boosting employment outcomes and economic development.

Source: GNA

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