Foreign workers not a threat to Guyanese – Govt assures

With Guyana turning to foreign workers and the vast expertise in the diaspora to meet the growing demands for skills in the country as it undergoes unprecedented transformation, officials are reassuring Guyanese here that there is no threat to them.

This assurance was given on Wednesday during a Stakeholder’s Forum on “Bridging Guyana’s Skills Gap: Diaspora and Migrant Labour,” where it was highlighted that the diaspora and migrant labourers are critical to continuing the development trajectory in the country, which has been experiencing labour shortages in key sectors.

“Migrant labourers do not present a threat; they pose no threat to Guyanese. It is a pathway for competitiveness, and so even when every foreigner, whether from the diaspora or otherwise, comes to Guyana to work, they do not come to bring a threat to our labour force. They come to build on what we already have, so that we can put the people of Guyana first,” Labour and Manpower Planning Minister Keoma Griffith said during his keynote address at the opening of the one-day forum.

Similar sentiments were also expressed by Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, who stressed the importance of looking at the retention of foreign workers, including those from the diaspora, in a holistic way.

“This is to complement our local talent and skills, to complement those persons who are living here and who are bettering themselves and improving themselves to, as it were, satisfy or help bridge that skill gap. So, this type of conversation, while we’re putting the spotlight on migrant labour and the diaspora, is not to ignore or in any way reduce the tremendous importance of utilising the skills that reside here; but not only utilising how we can retain and develop those skills, so they too can, as it were, support what we all are seeking to do to bridge that skills gap,” Persaud stressed.

In fact, the Foreign Secretary noted that the Government has made retaining and developing local skills a priority, especially through the number of technical skills-training programs and scholarship initiatives. He further pointed out that as Guyana continues to undergo development, it is very pertinent to address the skills gaps.

In fact, he noted that the Diaspora Unit within the Foreign Ministry has been targeting persons within the hemisphere, such as Suriname, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, etc, where scores of Guyanese had previously migrated to. “We were placing a lot of emphasis there in addressing some of the skills gaps, but also tapping those persons, and working very closely. So, we hope also that this type of conversation will be very targeted in terms of who in the diaspora, where in the diaspora, the type of skills in the diaspora that companies need, and how they can be retained. We will take today’s outcome to inform us, to advise us as we move forward in bridging the skills gap in our country, both for the public and the private sector, as Guyana continues its journey to transformation.”

Nevertheless, Minister Griffith explained that the discussion at the stakeholders’ forum comes as Guyana seeks to position itself to sustainably manage one of the most transformative periods in its history, which has placed the labour market under strain. He pointed to research and studies that show the country will require a significantly larger workforce to sustain its projected growth-one study citing that approximately 160,000 additional workers would be required in the medium term for the country to fully realise its economic potential.

This, according to Griffith, is where the Manpower Planning aspect of his Ministry comes to the fore in shaping a labour environment that is fair, regulated, and responsive to the country’s rapidly changing development landscape. To this end, he reiterated the Guyana Government’s commitment to establishing a modern national labour migration policy to allow for the recruitment of foreign workers to meet the needs of the country’s rapid growth without compromising the rights and interests of Guyanese. “Our Government has already signaled its intention to develop a migration policy aligned with the priorities outlined in Budget 2026. Importantly, this policy framework will support the strategic recruitment of foreign workers where necessary, while safeguarding the rights and interests of Guyanese workers; it will also strengthen diaspora engagement as part of a broader national workforce development strategy…”

“Even now, returning nationals are already making meaningful contributions across key sectors, such as health care, construction, information, and communication technology, and entrepreneurship, further demonstrating the transformative role the diaspora can play in Guyana’s development trajectory. We must therefore maximise these benefits by creating structured pathways for diaspora participation through investment incentives, skills recognition and targeted remigrant programmes,” Griffith stated. Wednesday’s Stakeholders ‘ Forum on “Bridging Guyana’s Skills Gap” was facilitated by the Foreign Ministry’s Diaspora Unit with support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Head of IOM Guyana, Eraina Yaw, in brief remarks, underscored the need to address the skills gap in Guyana through a strategic, inclusive, and sustainable approach. “ The skills gap cannot be addressed through a single pathway. Stronger education, training, and workforce development must remain central, while diaspora engagement can support expertise and knowledge transfer, and well-managed labour migration can help meet immediate and short-term goals,” she posited. The IOM official expressed expectation that the forum’s outcome will not just help build a shared understanding of Guyana’s skill needs and identify practical principal responses but also generate concrete recommendations on leveraging diaspora expertise and migrant skills, strengthening national skills development, and shaping labour mobility pathways that respond to market realities and align with international best practices.