Labour has become scarce in Guyana, because of its oil boom. So much so that international oil companies are being forced to import what they need because simply put, the capacity does not exist in the new oil-producing nation.
To control it though, the government is actively working on a migration policy, its President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali told the BBC.
“We are now working on a migration policy that will have to work in the interest of Guyana. We are seeing already tremendous requests for the importation of labour to fill the gap that exists,” he said. “We are already in a situation in the country where we have [a] shortage in the supply of labour. The companies in the private sector are complaining, now even government contractors are having great difficulties sourcing labour.”
This is not uncommon, as evidenced by similar situations faced in countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
Current estimates suggest that Guyana will need at least 160,000 more workers to sustain its oil-related growth.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) warned Guyana that it lacks more than 60% of the technical skills needed to keep up with its rapid pace of development, and that graduates were not being churned out quickly enough to meet the growing demand. And it was a fair assessment since Guyana’s oil industry, only eight years in, has expanded at a remarkable pace; the country was unprepared for the transformation taking place.
But now, the government is hoping to address this.
“We want to ensure that our labour force is highly skilled and highly educated,” President Ali said. With this plan in mind, it is working with ExxonMobil to create the first Technical Training College for the oil industry and the growing hospitality industry. Construction has already begun on this long-term solution. Until then, labour will need to be imported. And the government is keen that this must “remain balanced” so that locals still get a fair chance to compete in the industry.
