By Kiana Wilburg
Guyanese legislators, and even grassroot folks have accepted that the current pace of our oil-driven growth has placed significant strain on our labour force. From truck drivers to specialized healthcare professionals, there is a growing need for more human capital to support our development plans and to meet the future requirements for sustainable growth.
A Labour Market Assessment study, prepared by the Centre for Local Business Development (CLDB), provides a granular outlook of the current state of affairs and the road ahead. According to the document, the agriculture, construction, transport and logistics, health, and oil and gas sectors will need an additional 52,396 workers over the next five years, with demand expected to continue rising over the next decade.
In agriculture–a sector Guyanese authorities insist will be at the heart of its diversification plans–the assessment states there will be a rise in demand for 12,499 workers by 2028. Many of these positions are said to be unskilled and could be replaced by expanded mechanization and automation. However, the report states that there is also a high demand for scientific professionals and skilled agricultural workers, which the education system may struggle to meet.
With respect to construction, it was noted that the industry is currently operating at around 50% of its workforce needs, facing critical shortages in skilled trades and engineering professions. However, without significant training interventions, supported by immigration, the report states that the sector will not be able to meet the demand for 8,905 workers over the next five years.
On the healthcare front, it was noted that 20,670 workers will be required over five years, including an estimated 11,682 nurses. The report acknowledges that “the sector is experiencing the highest rate of attrition ever recorded, resulting in a current shortage of more than 10,000 nurses.
“This shortage, along with deficits in specialized doctors, personal care workers, and science and engineering professionals, threatens to undermine Guyana’s efforts to provide adequate healthcare for its population.”
Turning to oil and gas, the report states that the demand for qualified workers is projected to increase by 5,828.
A frightening reality check was also provided: “The new workforce supply from technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and universities will not be sufficient to support Guyana’s economic growth trajectory…”
Notably, the report makes a number of recommendations on how the foregoing labour challenges could be addressed. It proffered that a comprehensive data collection system could help government, private sector stakeholders, students and job seekers with information on how to navigate the gaps and opportunities in the market.
A rational immigration framework for workers was another key recommendation.
Guyanese authorities seem to have agreed with the foregoing and started efforts on both fronts. According to the 2024 Mid-Year Report, government will develop an integrated labour market information system that is user friendly and easily accessible. It is intended to ameliorate the mismatch between available jobs and persons seeking employment.
That mid-year report also states that manpower studies are being undertaken to address sector-specific manpower requirements. In addition to significant ramping up of training programmes, it notes that several sectors have already acted to expand skill sets in this regard. In the delivery of healthcare for example, it was noted that authorities have substantially expanded training cohorts as well as expanded engagement with multiple bilateral partners to secure additional specialists in various medical disciplines as well as over 140 nurses to support healthcare delivery.
Complementary to the foregoing are other notable initiatives such as free education at the University of Guyana starting January 2025, ongoing construction to complete the Guyana Technical Training College (GTTC) at Port Mourant, Berbice and specialised offerings made available through the GOAL scholarship programme. The hosting of targeted job fairs in several regions to sensitise and recruit available skills from communities, particularly outside of Georgetown is also worthy of mention.
While these efforts will go a far way in supporting the country’s labour force needs, there are two key take-aways this editor would offer:
1. The CLDB study does provide a useful outlook of the labour market and the needs over the next five years. Be that as it may, the government should be armed with its own independent study. The results should be shared with the public to encourage discourse on solutions that are feasible and practical, following which, the government should prepare a strategy that outlines it plans for building a workforce for the future beyond oil and gas. Aspects of its vision have been presented but a blueprint/strategy would be useful not just for the younger generation to understand its policy decisions, but other nations looking to Guyana for guidance on how to be nimble in a complex global landscape.
2. It may be a well-accepted fact that Guyana’s development is inextricably linked to the importation of skilled workers. But this too must be strategically done. There are numerous examples on how oil-rich countries used foreign labour to build their economies. Certainly, those models ought to be considered to understand their lessons and applicability within the Guyana context.
With Guyana pegged to hit over 1.3 million barrels of oil per day by 2027, the workforce needed to support such a scale of production and its impact on other industries will grow exponentially.
Careful planning and accelerated execution must go hand in hand if we are to maximize gains, and at the very least, prevent the labour gaps from ballooning beyond our control.
