Dear Editor,
“The event was a success and is a clear manifestation of the GoG’s (Government of Guyana) interest and commitment to ensuring that the Diaspora is integrally involved in the development of Guyana and benefitting from the nation’s prosperity.” This statement by Hon Michael Brotherson, Guyana’s Consul General to New York encapsulated the essence of the objectives of the Job Fair held at the LaGuardia Marriott Hotel in Queens, New York on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
The stated objectives of the jointly-sponsored Job Fair (GoG and Private Sector) were to (i) learn more about the job opportunities in Guyana, (ii) to allow Guyanese to network with business leaders; (iii) to offer Guyanese the opportunity to learn more about small and medium sized businesses, (iv) to provide information on remigration; and (v) to learn how Guyanese could contribute to the country’s rapid development. The Guyana Consulate says that 300 Guyanese registered as participants at the Job Fair, while 17 businesses, including ExxonMobil, were exhibitors.
In attendance were the Mr. Robert Persaud (Foreign Secretary); Mr. Anand Persaud (Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development); Hon Sam Hinds (Guyana’s Ambassador to Washington); Dr Peter Ramsaroop (CEO G-Invest); Rosalinda Rasul (Head of Diaspora Unit at Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Mr. Fazal Yussuf (Diaspora and Investment Officer at the New York Consulate); Mr Shyam Nokta (former Chair of the Local Content Panel and currently Managing Director of Environmental Management Consultants); the Hon Michael Brotherson (Consul General in New York); and his entire consulate staff.
Representing the private sector was Mr. Komal Singh, chair of the Private Sector Commission. He was there with his family. Mr. Singh said that the private sector was pleased to be a part of this initiative that is the brainchild of President Dr Irfaan Ali. Ms. Rasul presented a video that depicted some of Guyana’s major infrastructure development projects for the benefits of participants. She also discussed duty free concessions for Guyanese re-migrants. Dr Peter Ramsaroop had a busy day discussing the investment possibilities and related tax incentives. Wood Direct’s Managing Director, Mr. Rafeek Khan, who also serves as Chair of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), was also busy explaining his company’s role in the construction and housing sector.
Critical labour shortages in the housing, construction, transport, oil, and other sectors would hinder the rate of the country’s development. The GoG has therefore embarked upon an aggressive campaign to recruit and train particularly skilled and semi-skilled labour. Pending a revision of the country’s immigration law to accommodate migrant labour within the economy, the GoG has accelerated the skills training programmes (BIT and TVET) to expand local capacity. The private sector also conducts skills training programmes but quantitative data on scope and level are not available.
For the period (2020-2025) over 11,000 Guyanese were trained by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) in various skills and semi-skills areas and an estimated 80% of them are gainfully employed. At the TVET (Technical and Vocational Education Training) another 18,000 Guyanese have been trained during the same period and an estimated 75% of them (BIT and TVET) are in gainful employment. But this level of training would only cover a small part of the labour shortage.
Some businesses have already imported skilled labour, while others might soon move in that direction if the labour could not be sourced in Guyana. For example, GAICO Construction and General Services, Inc says that they are thinking of sourcing migrant labour to fill 139 existing vacancies in various categories within their establishment. While the GoG has not yet revised the country’s immigration law to accommodate migrant labour within the economy, the country’s rapid economic development, including technological changes, has caused them (GoG) to accelerate their skills training programmes to expand local capacity. Notwithstanding, a recent study suggests that Guyana may need to import about 89,000 workers by 2030 to fill existing vacancies in various sectors. By 2028 ExxonMobil would need an additional 5,000 workers.
It is too early to say how many of the 300 registrants at the New York Job Fair would follow through with their interest (whether via jobs, investment, etc) in contributing to Guyana’s development. The Job Fair also helped to update Guyanese with developments taking place in Guyana.
Sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh