Labour shortage emerges as major challenge amid Guyana’s rapid economic growth -Ashni Singh

Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, has highlighted a growing labour shortage in Guyana, even as the country continues to generate thousands of new jobs driven by rapid economic expansion.Speaking during a panel hosted by the BBC World Service programme World Questions: Guyana, the Finance Minister said the pace of job creation over the last five years has been significant, particularly within key sectors such as oil and gas.“Over the last five years alone, we have created 104,000 new jobs. Now, in a population of a million, 104,000 jobs is a lot of jobs,” Dr. Singh stated.He explained that while the majority of these opportunities are being filled by Guyanese, the demand for labour is now exceeding the available workforce, creating challenges for businesses.“And those jobs, for the greater part, are being taken up by Guyanese people, but in fact, if you speak with members of the private sector, they will tell you that the jobs are being created at a rate at which one of the biggest challenges faced by the private sector is getting workers,” he added.Dr. Singh pointed to the oil and gas sector as a major driver behind the surge in employment, noting that its expansion has had ripple effects across multiple industries, further increasing demand for skilled and unskilled labour.His comments underscore a shifting labour market in Guyana, where economic growth is now outpacing the available workforce, placing pressure on employers to secure workers to sustain ongoing development.