The Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has revealed that government will require an estimated GH₵12 billion every year to absorb the growing backlog of unemployed health and education professionals across the country.
Mr. Ampem said the financial implications of employing all qualified but unposted graduates pose a major challenge to Ghana’s already constrained national budget.
“If we put the 74,000 professionals from the health sector onto the payroll, we will need an additional GH₵6 billion annually, and another GH₵6 billion for the education sector. This is just the backlog of professionals who have not yet been employed,” he disclosed.
The revelation comes amid growing agitation from unpaid teachers and nurses, many of whom have hit the streets demanding payment of salaries and permanent postings after completing their training.
Mr. Ampem explained that both the health and education sectors continue to churn out more professionals than the government can immediately employ, deepening the unemployment crisis that has persisted since 2019.
According to him, Ghana’s health sector produces about 26,000 new professionals annually, but only about 13,000 are absorbed each year, leaving a backlog of 74,000 awaiting employment. Similarly, in the education sector, around 35,000 new graduates emerge from colleges of education and universities yearly, yet only 21,000 are recruited, creating a backlog of 71,000 unposted teachers.
He also revealed that approximately 12,000 health and education workers currently working in various institutions have not been paid, but government is collaborating with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to regularise their employment status and clear salary arrears.
Mr. Ampem emphasised that the situation underscores the urgent need for strategic workforce planning and sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure that the country can absorb trained professionals without overwhelming public finances.
“We are not ignoring their plight, but the reality is that the fiscal space is tight. Recruiting everyone immediately will require huge resources that must be carefully planned for,” the Deputy Minister said.