By Iddi Yire
Accra, Aug 30, GNA – Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, has reiterated Government’s commitment to strengthening operational capacity of the Labour Department through the implementation of the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project.
He noted that over the years, the Labour Department had been faced with a number of challenges which affected its efficiency and effectiveness.
“The ability of the Department to carry out its mandate has been gravely affected by infrastructural, human resource and logistical constraints, including run-down offices at the national, regional and district levels,” Mr Baffour Awuah stated in his address at a press briefing in Accra.
“To address this matter, Government with funding from the World Bank is implementing the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project to support skills development and job creation.”
The press briefing was held by the Employment Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Information to update Ghanaians on development in employment, labour and pensions space.
Mr Baffour Awuah said the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations was implementing component three of the project, which was focused on improving the capacity of the Labour Department for enhanced coordination of the labour market.
He said activities being undertaken include development and operationalization of a one-stop centralized labour market database dubbed the “Ghana Labour Market Information System” (GLMIS).
The Minister said the system, which could be accessed on the world wide web via www.glmis.gov.gh, was designed to provide the main interface that facilitated interaction between jobseekers and employers.
He said it was a web-based repository of all labour market information designed to enable stakeholders make real time evidence-based decisions on the labour market.
He said through its data collection functionalities, the system was envisaged to become a reliable platform for the analysis and reporting of information regarding skills in demand to influence human capital planning, curriculum development, education and training.
He said this was expected to eventually end or minimize the long cycle of jobs mismatch, unemployment and under-employment.
He said the GLMIS had in-built portals that allowed employers to declare existing job vacancies for jobseekers to upload their curriculum vitae for job matching.
He said as a result, the Government would be able to gather timely and reliable data on the number of jobs created by the productive sectors.
Mr Baffour Awuah said to strengthen labour administration and regulation of the world of work, Government was constructing an ultra-modern four-storey building, which is over 95 per cent complete.
The Minister said furthermore, the Government was constructing 16 new Public Employment Centres (PECs) under the project to complement the refurbishment of 48 existing ones across the country.
He said 13 out of the 16 new PECs under construction had been completed, which were located in Yendi, Damongo, Wa, Bolgatanga, Akim Oda, Odumase, Twifo Hemang, Konongo, Walewale, Dambai, Hohoe, Bibiani, and Kenyasi.
He said work was also progressing steadily in Tarkwa, Atebubu, and Amasaman.
He said additionally, the Government had procured over 80 motorbikes, 4 SUVs and 21 Pick-Up vehicles to enhance labour administration.
He said through these investments, Government would also strengthen its Early Warning Systems to detect and avert industrial disputes and maintain a stable labour environment.
GNA