Accra: The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has released a report indicating that approximately two million young Ghanaians are currently neither employed nor enrolled in educational institutions. This alarming statistic underscores the challenges facing the country's youth in finding pathways to employment and education.
According to Ghana Web, the report highlights critical issues within the labor market and educational system that contribute to this situation. The data reflects a potentially growing trend of disengagement among young people, which could have significant implications for the nation's economic future and social stability.
The report also provides a broader analysis of the labor market, showing an overall decrease in labor costs by 2.6% compared to the previous year. This marks the first decline in annual labor costs within the current data series and contrasts sharply with the 16.3% labor inflation recorded in June 2025.
Furthermore, the report sheds light on the construction sector, revealing that the decline in prices for key construction materials, such as cement and steel, has helped slow inflation in the building industry. Cement prices, for example, fell by 13.0% year-on-year, while steel prices dropped by 8.6%. This contributed to a slowdown in the Combined Prime Building Cost Index, with annual inflation easing to 3.1% in June 2026 from 24.4% in April 2025.
Despite these positive trends, the GSS noted that several construction materials continue to experience significant price increases. Plumbing materials recorded the highest annual inflation at 23.9%, with roofing sheets, small tools, and reinforcement materials also showing notable increases. The Plant group, which includes construction equipment and machinery, recorded inflation well above the national average at 16.0%.
Overall, 14 of the 23 construction sub-groups tracked by the GSS posted inflation rates above the national average of 3.1%. This indicates that while overall construction cost pressures have eased, significant price increases remain in various areas of the sector.