A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Asabre, has called on the government to introduce incentives to encourage private sector employers to offer better salaries and improved working conditions, particularly for young workers.
According to him, salary disparities between the public and private sectors remain one of the major reasons many young people prefer government jobs over opportunities in the private sector.
Speaking on Nkosuo Nsem on Plan B FM, hosted by Kofi Sekyi, George Asabre said while the private sector remains critical to job creation, many young people are reluctant to pursue private sector employment because of concerns over job security, low remuneration and working conditions.
His comments follow an announcement by the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, that government plans to redirect a significant number of national service personnel into the private sector under a new retention arrangement aimed at improving the transition from education to employment.
Under the proposed Graduates in Corporate Support (GRICS) programme, private sector organisations partnering with government will be required to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) guaranteeing the permanent employment or retention of at least 60% of national service personnel deployed to them.
Speaking at the National Youth Conference organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA) at the KNUST Great Hall on Sunday, August 9, 2026, Opare-Addo said public sector institutions were becoming increasingly congested, making it necessary to create stronger pathways for graduates into the private sector.
He explained that graduates posted to government institutions could spend between four and ten years searching for permanent employment after national service, compared with one to three years for those entering the private sector.
Reacting to the policy on Plan B FM, Asabre said job security was a major factor influencing young people’s preference for government employment.
He also accused some foreign-owned private companies operating in Ghana of taking advantage of young workers by offering poor remuneration and conditions of service.
Asabre therefore urged the government to ensure that private sector employers improve salaries and working conditions to make private employment more attractive to the country’s youth.
He argued that if government wants to redirect more national service personnel into the private sector, it must create an environment where young people can earn decent wages and enjoy reasonable job security.
He stressed that improving private sector remuneration would not only encourage more young people to accept private sector opportunities but would also help make the government’s proposed transition from public sector placements more sustainable.
By: Bernard Mensah
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