(Trinidad Express) Over a thousand Trinidadians showed up at the C3 Centre in Corinth, San Fernando, yesterday, seeking jobs in Guyana from a company operating in the oil and gas and construction sectors.
They crowded the C3 compound for hours, hoping they would be able to secure employment.
But a manager at Pass Tech Ltd, which hosted the event, later explained that it was a job fair and not a recruitment exercise.
Pass Tech is based in San Fernando and is the parent company of Global Tech Properties, which has operations in Guyana.
The company says it has years of experience in the oil and gas, construction, marine and import sectors.
A 48-second video advertising the event circulated on social media earlier this week.
Jamaal Marcano, manager at Pass Tech, told the Express at the job fair: “We are not here to fill buses and take people over to Guyana, which is what some persons were thinking. Guyana has their local supply of labour.
“Where our contracts are concerned, we also have Guyanese employees and this same event is going to take place in Guyana.
“Today is more about gathering information and we’re going to sift through everything and then do our call-backs and our short-listing from this… It is to widen our candidate pool for persons interested in both the oil and gas and the construction industry… The objective is to see who is out here, what skillset they have to offer and what opportunities may be available for them.”
Marcano explained that the event was geared not just for work in Guyana, but also in this country.
“We’re looking for persons who have the qualifications and the experience to fit both our local and foreign companies and clients,” he said.
Speaking to the Express after 3 p.m., Marcano said yesterday’s response had been overwhelming.
“We started the morning with 300 forms. We have since copied about 300 more,” he told the Express.
The event was advertised to begin at 2 p.m. but instead started at 11 a.m., as Marcano said when they arrived to set up yesterday morning, people told them they had been there since 9 a.m.
Vehicular traffic heading to the mall was also heavier than usual, the Express observed.
By the end of the day, more than one thousand people had shown up at the event.
Of the response, Marcano said, “I think it’s a direct reflection of the unemployment rate… Unemployment seems to be very high. You have persons here who are not only unemployed, but those who are dissatisfied with where they are, in terms of their wages…
“One thing we want to assure persons, and we’re being very transparent with them—coming here today does not mean that you’re leaving with a job. It means that you are now listed with us so that when the opportunity arrives, we can then pull from that.”
Guyana has discovered huge quantities of oil and gas in the past few years, and now boasts reserves of about 11 billion barrels.
That puts it in the top 20 in terms of its potential, on par with countries such as Norway, Brazil and Algeria, a BBC report noted last month.
The small country currently boasts the fastest-growing economy in the world, the report said.
Regular work hard to find
The Express spoke to many people who came looking for jobs at the fair yesterday.
They said opportunities in both the oil and gas and construction industries were slow now.
A 28-year-old pipe-fitter from Palo Seco said he was seeking a difference, as work for him had not been regular.
Three men, ages 22, 23 and 24, from Chaguanas, who have been working in the construction industry, also said work for them had been “on and off”. They said they were seeking job opportunities and did not mind if it was in Guyana or here at home.
A 42-year-old man from San Juan, who gave his name only as Bernard and who works in the south of the country, said he was seeking a new opportunity and was hoping it could be in a different country.
He has a 13-year-old daughter and admitted that working abroad was a “sacrifice for her and the family”. Bernard previously worked in Suriname.
Petra King, 57, previously worked in a gold mine in Guyana and was looking for another job in the South American country.
“It’s a nice place to work. The people are nice, the work experience was nice,” she said.
Speaking about the oil and gas industry, King said: “The market is very, very tough. Who have it right now need to hold on to what they have.”
A couple from Arima, seeking to transition from the manufacturing industry to oil and gas, saw the fair as an opportunity to speak to those involved in that area.
While they said they did not have the experience in oil and gas, they said they will be dropping off their resumes at the company.
A 21-year-old scaffolder from Moruga, who has an eight-month-old child, left his jobsite to attend the fair yesterday.
He arrived late and said it should have been hosted for a longer period to cater for those who work later hours.
Higher demand for jobs
Pass Tech’s Marcano said currently, with the rapid rate of development in Guyana, there is a higher demand for jobs than what is available, especially in the oil and gas industry.
With regard to the construction sector, he said Guyana has its own workers but his company is offering smart housing, which is a new form of construction on the market.
During the event, people were allowed to take the escalator in groups to an upper floor, where a Pass Tech team answered their questions.
Potential candidates also filled out a form and included their credentials.
Marcano said those who spoke to him understood the event.
“Nobody who dealt with me walked away feeling I should pack my bag, automatically going to Guyana,” he said.
The fair ended at 6 p.m. Those who arrived after this time told the Express that they were advised to either e-mail their documents or drop them off at the company’s office.
