Finance Minister confirms start of public sector recruitments despite high wage bill

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Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that the administration has “commenced processes for the recruitment of staff into the public service.”

This is despite revealing that the government was forced to borrow GHS 17 billion to pay salaries in 2025

Addressing a dialogue with President John Mahama on March 17, Dr. Forson confirmed that the recruitment push is part of the government’s broader agreement with Organized Labour, aimed at fulfilling commitments to boost staffing levels across various state agencies.

“In line with the 9th November 2025 agreement on the 2026 base pay, government committed to engage with unions… and undertake critical recruitment into the public service, all within budget constraints,” Dr. Forson stated.

“In this regard, government has commenced processes for the recruitment of staff into the public service.”

The announcement comes at a time of intense fiscal pressure. According to the Minister’s own briefing, Ghana’s compensation to tax revenue ratio stands at a staggering 44 per cent—well above the ECOWAS threshold of 35 per cent.

The 2025 compensation bill of GHS 78.9 billion exceeded the total non-oil tax revenue left after statutory funds and debt servicing by GHS 17 billion, a shortfall that had to be covered through borrowing.

However, the Minister assured stakeholders that the recruitments would be conducted “within budget constraints.”

 

Source: Myjoyonline.com


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Kennedy Mornah is an Award Winning Ghanaian Journalist with over two decades of experience in the Ghanaian Media landscape spanning the electronic, print and digital media. He is a Media Consultant, a Corporate MC, Radio and TV Host, Founder and Publisher of the Maritime and Transport Digest Newspaper, Businessman, a Go getter and an optimist. He has worked for renowned media organizations including Diamond Fm in Tamale, Luv Fm in Kumasi, Oman Fm in Accra and Starr Fm in Accra In 2017 he received the Reporter of the Year Award at the Ghana Shippers Awards in Accra, Ghana.

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