The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), Alex Frimpong, has revealed that most companies do not have the space to accommodate new graduates from tertiary institutions.
Alex Frimpong said: “Due to the current macroeconomic environment, we have not expanded as a business recently. The best thing to do now is to try to preserve whatever little we have. That’s the thing,” he added.
“We do not have the vacancies needed to employ all these people and this has nothing to do with the quality of graduates coming out of our institutions,” Frimpong added.
He noted that companies are struggling and the expansion needed to accommodate these graduates is not happening.
Alex Frimpong revealed this on PM EXPRESS BUSINESS EDITION with host George Wiafe on February 29, 2024
He also points out that the job market is changing as most companies are not ready to accept and train these young graduates, but rather seek some skills just to fill some spaces in the workplace. It was also revealed that there was.
The CEO of the Ghana Employers Association has responded to the recent Ghana Bureau of Statistics unemployment report which shows higher unemployment rates among graduates and those with tertiary education.
Some argue that most of these graduates are therefore demanding better working conditions and higher salary levels, which is fueling the unemployment problem.
Mr Frimpong said companies are not recruiting these graduates because of their higher salary levels, but rather because of a lack of space.
“We have to realize that the formal sector has not expanded enough to accommodate all these people coming from the formal education sector,” Frimpong added.
Seth Tum Akwaboah, CEO of the Ghana Industry Association, said on the same program that the manufacturing industry is looking for graduates with skills, not education.
“Don’t think that just because you have a Ph.D. you should automatically expect this level of pay and working conditions,” he explained.
“What matters to us is the skills and what you bring to the business and manufacturing company,” he added.
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