The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has cautioned that absorbing all trained but unposted teachers and nurses into the public sector payroll would consume almost half of Ghana’s annual revenue.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Dr. Pelpuo said the country was currently grappling with a backlog of 71,000 teachers and 73,000 nurses who had completed training but were yet to be employed.
“If we put the two together and decide not to add the security services or other ministries, it means they will take about 47 per cent of the total revenue we earn every year,” he said.
The minister added that including other groups awaiting recruitment would push the wage bill to about 65 per cent of annual revenue, describing the situation as a “major fiscal risk.”
Ghana’s public sector wage burden has long been a concern for policymakers, and the large pool of trained professionals awaiting posting continues to strain fiscal planning. The backlog of nurses, in particular, includes graduates from the 2021 to 2024 year groups who have completed training but remain unemployed.
Addressing recent protests by newly recruited teachers and nurses over nine months of unpaid salaries, Dr. Pelpuo said the situation was inherited from the previous administration.
“For you to work and be paid, you need financial clearance to show there is money available and that you have been properly considered,” he said. “In many cases, that did not happen.”
According to him, a government-appointed committee auditing the recruitment process uncovered irregularities, including instances where appointment letters were issued without interviews or assigned workstations.
“In most instances, people were given letters without going through the process. No interviews, no designated office, nothing. They were just given letters,” he explained.
Dr. Pelpuo assured that all legitimate workers who had served but were yet to receive their salaries would be paid.
“We are taking it up seriously, and I can assure the nurses and teachers caught up in this process that we will respond to them before the end of the year,” he stated, adding that the Minister of Finance had agreed to clear arrears after assessing the fiscal space.
He also disclosed that the government had suspended all layoffs until the audit committee completed its work, emphasizing the president’s commitment to fairness.
“The president does not want his administration to be clouded with disputes over who should be working and who should not,” Dr. Pelpuo said. “He is insisting that the right thing is done.”
The minister rejected suggestions that the government was out of funds, saying the challenge lay in managing competing financial obligations.
