Home-based work and homework in Ghana : an exploration

This research report explores the nature and character of home-based work and the more narrow concept of homework in Ghana. As labour statistics on home-based work and homework are absent, the research draws on interviews with 124 individuals working in agro-processing, arts and crafts, industry and the services sectors. A wide spectrum of working relationships in the Ghanaian context can be described as homework, but as many homeworkers combine homeworking with independent, home-based work activities, the distinction between homework and home-based work is often blurred. In both cases, however, the interviews revealed that the work is informal and earnings are low. The character and nature of home-based work in Ghana highlights the need for policy changes in a number of areas. Key among these is the need for the redesign of labour surveys in Ghana to capture the prevalence, variations, terms and conditions of home-based workers and homeworkers in Ghana. The study also highlights the limitations of Ghana’s Labour Act, which is only being effectively applied to small proportion of workers in an employment relationship.