A request under the Right to Information Act has highlighted a subtle gap between President John Mahama’s claim of one million jobs created in 2025 and official labour statistics.
The request, filed by New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Emmanuel Senyo Amekplenu, sought clarification on employment figures published by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Mahama’s claim
During the State of the Nation Address on Friday (27 February), President John Mahama claimed that data from the Ghana Statistical Service shows that one million people found employment between the first and third quarters of 2025.
He stated:
“According to the Ghana Statistical Service, over one million Ghanaians found employment between Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 of 2025.
Facts
According to GSS, total employment increased by 1,099,597 people between the third quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025.
However, the agency stressed that this number represents net employment change—the overall difference between people entering and leaving jobs—rather than the number of newly created positions.
Between the first and third quarters of 2025, employment grew by around 330,000.
“The estimate reflects labour market dynamics, including movements into employment as well as exits from employment,” GSS said, noting that the figure provides an indication of trends rather than a precise count of new jobs.
