During his State of the Nation Address on February 27, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama stated that “over one million Ghanaians found employment between Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 of 2025,” citing data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
But a close review of the official figures tells a different story.
What the Quarterly Data Shows
According to the GSS Quarterly Labour Force Survey:
- Q4 2024: 12.73 million employed
- Q1 2025: 13.09 million
- Q2 2025: 13.44 million
- Q3 2025: 13.42 million
That means:
- +360,000 jobs in Q1 (compared to Q4 2024)
- +350,000 jobs in Q2
- –20,000 jobs in Q3
Total net increase across the three quarters? 690,000 jobs.
Even without factoring in the Q3 dip, the total gain stands at 710,000 — still well below one million.
The Government’s Explanation
When pressed on the discrepancy, Minister for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu offered a different calculation on Joy FM’s Top Story.
He argued that the one million figure was derived from comparing average employment levels. According to him:
- Average employment in 2024: 14.2 million
- Average employment Q1–Q3 2025: 15.3 million
- Difference: 1.2 million
However, official GSS data does not support those averages.
The actual averages are:
- 2024 average: 12.29 million
- Q1–Q3 2025 average: 13.3 million
The difference between these two figures is approximately 1.01 million.
Where the Claim Falls Apart
Here’s the key issue: averages compare levels, not new jobs created within a specific period.
Saying one million people “found employment between Q1 and Q3 2025” implies job flows — how many additional people entered employment during that window.
The correct way to measure that is the net increase over the period.
That figure is 690,000, not one million.
Verdict: False
While employment did increase significantly in early 2025, the claim that over one million Ghanaians found jobs between Q1 and Q3 is not supported by the quarterly data. The numbers simply do not add up.
Myjoyonline
