UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURE FRIGHTENS ALL

Accra, Jan 14 (Palavar) -- TOP officials of the Ministry of Manpower and Development are tight-lipped on a recent report that about two million employable Ghanaians are now unemployed.

This means about 20 per cent (one in every five) of Ghanaians, capable of working are now either walking about aimlessly in the streets or spending his or her time bemoaning his or her fate, if the report is true.

A random survey, conducted by the 'Palaver' on the issue, showed concerns by Ghanaians for the Government to find ways and means of providing instant solution to the problem, instead of dismissing the report, as a mere political gimmick.

It is generally felt that the enormousness of the problem is not fully realised, as a result of the street-hawking, which has now become full-time vocation for almost the majority of the youth.

Many of the hawkers are no school drop-outs as such according to our own survey.

Some have HNDs from the Polytechnics or Senior Secondary School certificates, which, normally can qualify them for employment in some establishment, if vacancies really exist.

Our reporter bumped into a graduate from one of the universities, who was relaxing in a shade, under one of the trees at the Ministries in Accra. He was a tired man.

According to him, he had trekked up and down the ministries, for almost three months, where his application is yet to receive attention from the office of the Head of Civil Service (Establishment?).

In any case, since he read some economics, he has circulated his application to almost every bank, whose name comes up for mention.

Although some have placed him on "waiting list", others are yet to acknowledge the receipt of his letter.

His cannot be treated as an isolated case.

For, there are university graduates, who have now opted to teach in some junior secondary schools, instead of remaining at home and famishing.