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Ato Forson Explains Government's Decision to Maintain 9% Salary Rise for Public Sector Workers.

The Ghanaian government's decision to maintain a 9% salary increase for public sector workers is a deliberate effort to strike a balance between wage growth, recruitment, and economic sustainability, according to Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. 

Addressing concerns on the Citi Breakfast Show on November 14, 2025, Dr. Forson underscored the government's prioritization of both the wage bill and the need to augment the workforce in critical sectors, notably healthcare and education.

The 9% increment is inextricably linked to allocations earmarked for new public sector recruitment, with plans to bolster the public sector by approximately 10,000 staff members. "The difference is not only the 9%, it is also because we made some allocations to do some recruitment, about 10,000 staff we want to add to the public sector," Dr. Forson elucidated.

Labour unions have expressed disenchantment with the announcement, insisting that their acceptance of the initial 9% increment early in the administration's tenure was predicated on the government's promise to augment public sector employment. Dr. Forson emphasized that the wage decision was crafted to reconcile fair compensation with the imperative of inducting new staff.

The government is grappling with pressure from unemployed teachers and nurses demanding employment or payment of salary arrears. Dr. Forson noted that a substantial backlog of qualified graduates, dating back to 2021, awaits employment, and the government's GHC90 billion allocation is insufficient to address this issue. "We have a backlog dating to as far back as 2021. 

People have gone to the nursing and teacher training colleges since that time, and they have not been employed to date. If you put the two together, you will get about 150,000. The 90 billion allocation cannot absorb that much."

Dr. Forson stressed that recruitment must be undertaken with circumspection, taking into account the necessity for infrastructure and resources to support new employees. "We need to balance recruitment while we provide public goods, as well as grow the economy. There are some essential workers that we have to employ. 

We need the nurses, doctors, and teachers to teach our children. But you have to do it carefully. Before we employ nurses and doctors, we need hospitals to put them to work. The same applies to the teachers; you will need a school."