Minister for Employment, Ignatius Baffour Awuah says government has taken steps towards ensuring the implementation of a National Unemployment Insurance Scheme for sector workers.

The global pandemic exposed some challenges of labour markets across the world with Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) being the worst affected by the pandemic.

During a press briefing Wednesday morning, the minister revealed that a Tripartite Technical Committee has been set up by government to develop modalities in the implementation of the scheme.

The programme seeks to address these challenges in the labour workforce brought on by the pandemic and forestall any of such in the future by making provision for workers who either lose their jobs or suffer pay cuts.

“The Scheme when operational will focus on providing direct income to workers who lose their jobs or suffer pay cuts in the event of a social or economic shock," he said.

The scheme will also offer opportunities for training, re-training, apprenticeship and internships to enable those who lose their jobs to readjust” Mr. Awuah added.

The National Unemployment Insurance Scheme will be managed by a National Unemployment Trust Fund.

The South Sunyani West Constituency Member of Parliament also mentioned that in as much as the economy has been immensely affected in terms of job losses, government interventions such as the easing of restrictions and the return of economic activities had resulted in the restoration of about 2,849 jobs.

This number, per the Ministry’s analysis, represents 24 per cent of recorded job losses in the country during the entire period of the global pandemic.

He revealed that although there have been no records of job losses in the public sector, low wage earners and unskilled labourers were observed to be the most vulnerable to unemployment.