The appetite for Ghanaians to work in a functional 24-hour economy is high, as nearly half of workers currently not engaging in shift-based employment have interest in working at night and flexible schedules.
The 2025 quarterly labour statistics of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), released on Thursday, December 18, in Accra, observed that though about 98 per cent of workers were not working on night shifts, 47 per cent were willing to do so.
The interest was particularly high among men – 54 per cent and rural workers – 52 per cent, whereas 45.4 per cent women and urban workers – 44.1 per cent said they were not interested in working on night shifts.
A disaggregation of data on participation in shift-based work for quarter two and three of 2025 showed that 435,614 Ghanaians were willing to work regularly on night shifts, while 227,278 were interested in working occasionally on night shifts.
The findings come as the government is implementing a US$4 billion flagship 24-Hour Economy investment programme, aimed at creating jobs, boosting productivity, and positioning Ghana as a competitive economy operating around the clock.
Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, Government Statistician, presenting the labour statistics for quarter three of 2025 noted that the findings provided strong evidence for the viability of the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative.
“This signals potential for the 24-Hour Economy if the right protections and the right incentives are provided. So, the government should provide an environment to ensure people are ready to work, and let’s provide standards,” Dr. Iddrisu said.
The Government Statistician encouraged the government to develop clear standards for shift-based and flexible work arrangements, ensuring worker safety, fair compensation, and income stability as interest in such work expands.
He urged the private sector to take advantage of the situation by expanding their operations and production capacities and build a shift-based workforce with standards for high quality workers.
Dr. Iddrisu asked individuals to invest in skills development and lifelong learning, particularly those were relevant to growing sectors such as services, digital activities, and modern agriculture.
Regarding unemployment, GSS observed that the overall rate averaged 12.8 per cent across the first three quarters of 2025, with female unemployment remaining consistently higher than male unemployment.
Urban unemployment averaged 15.1 per cent over the period compared to 9.6 per cent in rural areas, with the highest gap of 6.2 percentage points occurring in the second quarter, indicating stark unemployment in cities than rural communities, largely due to high competition for limited formal employment opportunities.
Key policy recommendations included expanding Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes, digital skills training, apprenticeships, and facilitating school-to-work transitions.
The Ghana Statistical Service also called for investment in training, apprenticeship opportunities, and internships, as well as implementing data-driven workforce planning to guide hiring, training, and investment decisions.
