Employability Requirements in the Labour Market: Analysis of Advertised Job Vacancies in Ghana

Background- Employability is often broadly defined as an individual’s ability to gain employment, to maintain employment or to replace an employment relationship by another. This study seeks to provide information on employability demands in the Ghanaian labour market. Method- The study is based on an in-depth analysis of job advertisements in the most widely read national daily, the Daily Graphic Newspaper. Analysis of the study was done using IBM-SPSS version 25. Results- More than half of all advertised jobs (54.3%) were for Professionals and Management Officials. About 22.8% of all advertised jobs were open to persons with no academic qualifications. Of the remaining 77.2% that required educational qualifications, almost half (47.3%) were open to university first degree holders. Job seekers who lack job-specific skills, computer literacy and communicative skills are not likely to succeed in the Ghanaian labour market. Also from the results, one may secure a job from age 25 and is most likely to secure a suitable job by age 35 with a minimum of 3 years of working experience. However, the likelihood of securing a job reduces as one approaches age 45. Conclusion- The study concludes that training and preparation for the job market should begin early enough for all prospective job seekers. Also, persons undertaking higher learning should take advantage of any small period of time in internship programs, voluntary works and industrial attachments to acquire the necessary work experiences needed to be competitive in the search for jobs in the Ghanaian labour market.