The Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) has unveiled findings from the 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES), revealing that out of the 11.39 million employed Ghanaians, by the third quarter of 2023, 6.44 million were females, surpassing the 5.52 million males.

This pattern of more females being employed than males has been consistent, with the difference averaging about 600,000 in 2022 and increasing to 900,000 in 2023.

Despite the increased employment for females, the survey highlighted a rise in the unemployment rate among females from 17.5% in the second quarter to 17.7% in the third quarter of 2023.

In contrast, the unemployment rate for males remained stable at 10.9% during the same period.

The report noted a significant increase in the unemployment gender gap in 2023 compared to 2022, attributing it to a sharp rise in the unemployment rate of females between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

The study also delved into the dominant sectors of employment, revealing that 41.7% of employed females were in the services and sales sector, while employed males were most prevalent in the skilled agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector at 39.8%.

Additionally, the study highlighted gender disparities in specific job roles, indicating that females had a considerably lower share of jobs as plant and machine operators or assemblers compared to males.

The findings disclosed that vulnerability in employment was higher for females, with 77.8% of employed females engaged in vulnerable employment by the end of the third quarter of 2023, compared to 57.7% of employed males.

Vulnerable employment is characterised by a lack of formal work arrangements, inadequate working conditions, and insufficient social security.

The AHIES, as the first nationally representative high-frequency panel, aims to provide quarterly data on the labour force, offering disaggregated labour statistics to support policy and planning aligned with national development agendas.