Ideally, it should be the engine of performance for both sectors. However, over the years, government seems to have neglected the department by way of funding.

It is as if to make a statement that the department has outlived its usefulness. It just does not have the tools to work.

The NLD

The NLD has a responsibility to enforce labour standards, promote bi-partite and tri-partite social dialogue and provide labour market information statistics in collaboration with other government agencies for human resource planning, development and utilisation.

It also has a function to provide advice on employment and labour policy and all matters relating to labour, administer labour laws, administer and operate the national employment service and provide placement, vocational guidance and counselling and labour market information.

Challenges

Sources at the department said labour officers were required to canvass for jobs for applicants but were unable to do so due to lack of funds and logistics.

They have no means of transport to move round to provide employers with information on the skills that are available in the pool.

“We need to be doing effective vocational guidance to be able to assist students and those who call at the centre to seek for jobs to be able to choose the right skills for training or be employable but we are unable to do so,” the source said.

Labour experts say the observance of labour laws depends on vigorous labour inspection but officers at the NLD lack the means to carry out labour inspection which can also bring about vacancies to be filled.

Officers in remote areas equally find it difficult to work while some don’t have the money to even post correspondence to the head office.

Capacity building for staff to equip them to be able to handle new challenges is also affected by the lack of funds.

“For instance, labour officers should be able to discuss government programmes that bring about job creation such as the Planting for Food and Jobs programme. They need to assist the assemblies in engaging workers with the skills for such programmes. But we are constrained,” an officer said.

Making it relevant

In Ghana, the NLD has a responsibility to register applicants and assist them to look for employment through its 64-public employment centres nationwide.

It has been assigned a critical role under the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) to carry out functions subject to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 150 about the Labour Administration system; that defines Labour Administration as “public administration activities in the field of national labour policy’’.

Therefore, Section 1 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) provides for the establishment and functions of the National Employment Service. Section 12 of the Act also mandates the NLD to conduct labour inspections on work places.

Yet, some trade unionists say it has been neglected, understaffed, poorly resourced and makes it particularly impossible to deliver on its mandate.

Some alleged that its condition had become bad such that it now depended on the very institutions it was expected to regulate for support before some of their core functions could be performed.

“Government should take a closer look at the plight of the department and make the necessary budget commitment so it can deliver on its mandate,” a unionist said.

Others argue that, the department, if adequately resourced, can provide labour statistics that can be used to achieve development goals and ensure that training at the various educational levels is related to the needs of employment.

Rebranding

The NLD has a vision to become a one-stop labour market information provider leveraging on information, communication technology and to ensure labour protection for workers.

The process would require regional offices of the centre to build a database of young people and their acquired skills to make it easier for employers to search online for their much-needed human resource.