Emerging petroleum sector results in increased traffic to Guyana – IMO report

Because of the emerging petroleum sector in Guyana, a recent study has proven, there has been a high increase of traffic from the Caribbean to this country between 2018 and 2020, when compared to other countries such as Venezuela, Europe, and the United States of America (USA).
The study, done by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is titled Planning for Prosperity: Labour Migration and Guyana’s Emerging Economy, and was funded by U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
The report from the study was launched last week at the Pegasus Hotel in the presence of officials from the Private sector, Government agencies and the International Community.
The report has said there has been a steady increase of travel to Guyana from the Caribbean, with Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Suriname having the highest inflows to the country between 2018 and 2020. Moreover, in 2018, persons arriving and departing Guyana from the Caribbean amounted to 137,433, while persons from the United States, the next largest travel group for that period, amounted to 89,456.
The labour study attributes these travel trends to Guyana’s emergent oil and gas industry and subsequent sectors, where it is estimated that up to 160,000 jobs will be in demand in the coming years, far beyond the labour supply available in Guyana.
According to IOM’s Chief of Mission and Coordination Officer for the Caribbean, Robert Natiello, such findings indicate that the dynamics of migration in Guyana are changing as the country is positioned to be one of the largest oil producing countries in the Western Hemisphere.
He explained that Guyana’s main assets have traditionally been its natural and agricultural resources, which continue to be key contributors to the country’s economy. However, Guyana’s labour force will be transformed to help supply the demand in the oil and gas and peripheral sectors.
“As the labour force in Guyana is expected to be transformed, the Guyana labour migration study highlights that the demand for labour in the medium-term will not only come from the oil and gas sector, but also from peripheral sectors such as construction, hospitality and tourism,” Natiello has said.
He added that, based on these findings, it is imperative to engage the Private Sector and other stakeholders on labour migration and ethical recruitment, as they would directly be impacted by this transformation.
Following the presentation of results by Lead Research Consultant Richard Rambarran, a panel discussion was conducted to provide a better understanding of how different actors view their roles in the development, management and governance of labour and migration in Guyana.
Panellists included Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, Private Sector Commission Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Capital, Jairam Petam, International Labour Organisation Specialist Francesco Carella, and IOM Specialist Michela Macchiavello.