…calls for upskilling, maturity and a workforce ready for the pace of national development
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has issued a sharp warning to the private sector, saying Guyana’s rapid economic expansion is being slowed by a human capital crisis, with businesses across the country struggling to find workers and facing declining productivity standards.
Speaking at the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) Annual Award Dinner, the President said the most common complaint from companies today is that they “can’t find workers,” and urged both employers and employees to confront the reality of the country’s development trajectory.
He said the scale of investment now underway, spanning oil, gas, logistics, manufacturing, infrastructure, tourism and more, demands a labour force that is willing to mature, adapt and aggressively upskill.
According to the President, human capital must develop “at the equivalent pace at which the economy requires them to perform,” otherwise the country risks cultivating a culture that “would kill productivity, kill competitiveness, and destroy our ability to be the best we can be.”
He warned against emerging attitudes in the workforce where some employees, now earning more quickly due to new opportunities, believe they can simply “throw back and relax” for the rest of the month. That mindset, he stressed, cannot take root in a country experiencing unprecedented growth.
Dr. Ali said Guyana is entering a phase where opportunities for local firms will multiply across oil and gas services, logistics, construction, technology, training and fabrication. But without workers who are prepared and motivated, the private sector will struggle to keep pace.
He urged Guyanese to take charge of their own advancement by upskilling, adapting to new demands, and making full use of the opportunities emerging across the economy. Productivity, he emphasized, must rise in tandem with investment.
As Guyana moves through what the President described as “a golden era,” he noted that both the government and private sector must work collectively to address the human capital shortfall and prevent it from stalling the country’s momentum.
With billions in public and private investments coming onstream and major projects accelerating nationwide, the President said the country’s success hinges on workforce readiness: “If our human capital put the same level of effort in advancing themselves… then we will have a very broader growth trajectory.”
The message was clear: opportunities are expanding, but unless Guyanese workers match that growth with commitment and maturity, the private sector will continue to face severe labour shortages and declining productivity.
