Migrants helping to ease labour demand – Hamilton

Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton recently revealed that the government can no longer delay the introduction of migrant labour into Guyana because of the growing demand.

Even so, he urged Guyanese workers to work diligently to capitalise on the demand themselves.

“We are at the point where no more can we hold back the tide as a government in bringing in migrant labour to this country,” Hamilton stated while speaking at the launch of a training programme in Bartica, Region Seven on Friday last.

He urged Guyanese workers to strive to be their best as competition may come from foreign labour.

“The day is quickly coming when grave competition will be in this space, we can’t hold it back anymore,” the minister said.

He added, “We cannot continue to live in this space to think that nothing will change, you better try to be the best you can be in whatever skillset you have.”

Last year, the government announced a strategic plan to tackle the country’s labour shortage dilemma.

The Manpower Design and Strategic Unit was also established in September 2023, to provide statistics on areas where more human capacity is needed. Based on a 2021 report from the International Office for Migration (IOM), Guyana needs at least 100,000 skilled personnel for its medium-term development.