Each regional PEC offers resources to help employers and jobseekers connect through the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS), a centralised platform with job listings and skill requirements for various roles.

Speaking at the Konongo-Odumase PEC’s opening, Minister Ignatius Baffour Awuah acknowledged the Department’s past challenges in addressing workforce needs and stressed the importance of aligning with the changing job market.

During project planning, the Ministry identified structural issues and outdated resources as obstacles in providing efficient employment services.

According to Mr. Baffour Awuah, the new PECs are designed to address these challenges by improving service quality for jobseekers, employers, and academic institutions.

In addition, the PECs offer resources on labour market trends and skills development, empowering jobseekers to gain expertise in high-demand fields.

The Minister expressed optimism that these centres would help bridge skill gaps and reduce unemployment.

Asante-Akim Central Municipal Chief Executive, Robert Yaw Kwarkye, praised the PECs as a testament to the government’s commitment to combating unemployment and better tracking employment rates within local communities.

On Wednesday, March 20, teacher unions comprising the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh) embarked on indefinite strike due to the government’s delay in renewing their collective agreements, among other concerns.

The meeting is expected to address the concerns raised by the teacher unions by seeking common ground.

Despite the National Labour Commission’s directive for the unions to call off the strike, it continues unabated.

This has forced the Ministry to summon stakeholders to the negotiation table in order to resolve their differences.

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On Wednesday, March 20, teacher unions comprising the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh) embarked on indefinite strike due to the government’s delay in renewing their collective agreements, among other concerns.

According to the Technical Advisor of the Ministry, Bright Wireko Brobbey, his office seeks to address the concerns raised by the teacher unions by seeking common ground. This has forced the Ministry to summon stakeholders to the negotiation table in order to resolve their differences.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Newsnight on March 20, he said“ I have spoken with their leadership, we are meeting them God willing on Friday morning to ensure that the government side, that is the Fair Wages and Salary Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the mother ministry, the Ministry of Education, are meeting to address all these things. We  should not go beyond Monday to address the issue of strike.”

He insisted that despite the general notion that the government is unconcerned about the plight of its citizens, this approach serves to reiterate the government’s commitment to securing its people.

“As I speak to you formal invitation letters have been sent to all the unions. God willing Friday we will meet and I am sure by the end of the meeting based on the resolutions and how far we are going and how far they will see that the government is committed to addressing those issues, we should be able to get it through,” he added

Mr Brobbey clarified that the ministry was often kept in the dark about most of the concerns raised by the teacher unions, and it was frequently brought into the picture at the eleventh hour.

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that after the meeting on Friday, all parties would reach an agreement, thereby resolving the impasse.

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• FWSC to meet GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT-Gh over strike

The purported interview was being held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, which started on March 7, 2023, and is ongoing.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the email directed persons interested in the job offer to pay ¢300 into mobile money account numbers 0203536390 and 0560785536.

The fee was meant to facilitate the interview and subsequent completion of Public Service Interview Evaluation forms.

It noted that additionally, text messages titled: “Ministries”, had been sent to the public to contact one Romeo Adams, designated as the Human Resource Manager on 0203536390 to confirm participation in the said interview.

However, contacts of unsuspecting job seekers, who sent monies, were blocked from making calls to the recipient’s number, the statement said.

‘’The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations is seizing this opportunity to inform all and sundry, especially job seekers and Ghanaian youth that the Ministry had not officially notified the public of any recruitment interview at the Foreign Affairs Ministry…”

“Romeo Adams is not a staff of the Employment and Labour Relations Ministry and the Ministry is not a recruitment body,” the Ministry stated in their press release.

The Ministry urged the public to take note of its website and Facebook page, www.melr.gov.gh and Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations-Ghana, respectively.