We don’t have space to accommodate graduates from tertiary institutions – Ghana Employers Association

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), Alex Frimpong, has revealed that most businesses do not have the space to accommodate fresh graduates from the tertiary institutions.

“We are not expanding as a business in recent times because of the current macroeconomic environment, and the best thing to do now is to try and keep the little that we have”, Alex Frimpong added.

“We don’t have the requisite vacancies to employ all these people and this has nothing to do with the quality of graduates coming out of our institutions”, Mr. Frimpong added.

He noted that businesses are struggling and the required expansion needed to accommodate these graduates is not happening.

Alex Frimpong disclosed this on PM EXPRESS BUSINESS EDITION on February 29 2024 with host George Wiafe

He also disclosed that the job market is changing because most enterprises are not prepared to take on these young graduates and train them, but rather look out for some skills just to fill some spaces at their workplaces.

The Ghana Employers Association CEO was responding to the recent Ghana Statistical Service unemployment report that shows high unemployment among graduates and those with higher education.

This has led to some arguing that most of these graduates are now demanding better working conditions and high salary levels, thus fueling this unemployment challenge.

Mr. Frimpong stated that businesses are not hiring because of the high salary levels of these graduates, but rather due to lack of space.

“We should realise that the formal sector is not expanding that much to take on all these persons coming from the formal education sector”, Mr. Frimpong added.

Speaking on the same programme, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries, Seth Twum Akwaboah said the manufacturing sector is looking for graduates with skills, rather than the level of education.

“So don’t think that because you have a PhD, automatically you should command this level of salary and working condition”, he explained.

“For us, it’s about the skills and what you are bringing to the business and the manufacturing firms”, he added.