In the media
Report on the impact of COVID-19 to Ghana’s labour market hits headlines

A new report from the Transforming informal work and livelihoods project has caught the attention of policy makers and media in Ghana. 

Researchers from UNU-WIDER and the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon conducted a survey with more than 600 workers in different cities throughout Ghana to assess the immediate and near-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour market outcomes. These data have been analysed and published in the new report delivering novel insights on how the pandemic and related policy measures have impacted the livelihoods of workers and their families. 

In the report, the researchers provide a comprehensive overview of their findings, which can help inform future policies.

Four main results stand out:

• The COVID-19 impact was acutely felt—84% of respondents reported a decline in household income since the start of the pandemic, and an alarming 42% had lost the household’s main income source, in most cases being derived from the labor market.
• Not all workers were affected equally—job and earnings losses were disproportionally reported by women and workers in informal self-employment, accentuating pre-existing inequalities.
• In September 2020, employment and earnings were still remarkably below pre-pandemic levels, and the recovery has been slow to reach the most vulnerable.
• Despite this, respondents expressed support for Ghana's COVID-19 policy response—both the early implementation of strict containment policies and the subsequent rollback.  

The publication has been welcomed by policy makers in the region as a valuable asset in reflecting on their policy response so far, and to support their COVID-19 recovery policies. 

Further, Ghanaian media picked up the publication with the key findings being mentioned in Graphic Online, the Business and Financial Times, and News Ghana. 

Learn more about the report here.