The Ghana Labour Market Information System

The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR), with funding support from the World Bank through the Ghana Statistics Development Project (GSDP) administered by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), has established the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) to enhance the coordination and management of labour market information for use by stakeholders.

The GLMIS is an active labour market policy instrument that collects, evaluates and provides labour market information to both the labour supply and the labour demand side. In practice, it is meant to be implemented as an automated, decentralised, and integrated ICT infrastructure-based “one-stop” mechanism to manage/coordinate:

  1. data collection (and data already gathered);
  2. data processing;
  3. data analysis; and
  4. dissemination
of accurate, relevant, up-to-date information on all the aspects and dynamics of the labour market, taking into account the expectations and challenges of all key stakeholders and users.

Labour market data/information in Ghana is currently fragmented and scattered among a number of organizations and institutions (Labour Market Observatories) that collect data and report on the labour market. They include the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Ministry of the Interior (MoI), the Ministry of Education (MoE), Private Employment Agencies (PEAs), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), academic institutions of higher learning, research institutions, technical and vocational training institutions, curriculum developers and employers, among others. owing to the absence of a functional labour market information system to harmonize and synchronize this existing fragmented labour market data, current labour market information is not easily accessible. The lack of accurate and regularly updated information on the labour market undermines the effective implementation of employment-generating policies and programmes; and makes it difficult to trace their impact on the lives of citizens.

The objectives of the GLMIS are:

  1. to inform the formulation of labour market policies; and
  2. to reduce the job search costs for both workers and employers by improving information flow between the labour demand and supply sides concerning available jobs and skills needed.

The functions of the GLMIS are:

  1. to improve job placement and matching;
  2. to improve the flow of labour market information;
  3. to provide information on professions and training;
  4. to help people to develop a job profile and to develop skills for searching and applying for jobs; and
  5. to collect and evaluate information necessary for government to be able to formulate labour market policy and to identify focus groups.

The GLMIS comprises the following components:

  • job matching (job seekers can apply for jobs and employers can also post job vacancies);
  • backend for input and management of administrative data by the Labour Department and other key Labour Market Observatories (LMO);
  • a page customized for each registered applicant/employer to enable feedback;
  • a link to social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and an advertisement section for employers and other advertisers;
  • labour and employment advice;
  • opinion polls;
  • unique identification numbers for subscribed employers and job seekers.

The key stakeholders include Students who could use the GLMIS to choose their fields of study; Jobseekers, in particular, highly skilled personnel living outside the country who need to learn about job opportunities or who need to retrain; Education and training institutions that offer programs responding to current labour market needs; career advisory services that provide effective job counseling; and Public Employment Services which provide effective job search assistance and counseling; etc.

The GLMIS is managed by the Labour Department, through its Employment Information Branch (EIB) with inputs from the Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Immigration Service etc. to ensure that the country is able cover all aspects of Labour Market Information (LMI) needed for proper planning and evidence-based decision making.