In addition to the 1200 persons on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) who have secured part-time jobs, another 1000 from the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) will also benefit.
This was announced on Friday by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo who launched the part-time jobs initiative at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
Vice President Jagdeo, in his address, stated that as development moved across the regions, job opportunities would decentralise. He highlighted that the new road networks, housing schemes, hotels and other businesses would foster such openings for the East Coast.
“There are lots of plans for the East Coast and lots of opportunities. As we get better infrastructure on the East Coast, the business will start migrating out, because the cost of land in the city is very high, so the job opportunities will flow closer to the communities themselves,” he declared.
According to the Vice President, there are a plethora of opportunities offered by Government which can be utilised to further qualify or upskill persons in communities. However, these individuals need to accept and take advantage of such.
He clarified, “We want positive people that can see the future and would use every chance to improve themselves and their families. I’ve seen the scholarship programme, so few people are applying and they can apply, even if they have not completed school.”
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo engaging some of the part-time workers at the ACCC
The Vice President has been spearheading the part-time jobs initiative, with outreaches across several communities. Jagdeo pointed to the fact that despite close proximity to Georgetown, a number of persons on the ECD were unemployed, especially women.
“We’ve never intended very much to start a programme here, because of the proximity to the job market, which is very competitive in Region Four, but when we spoke with people, a number of people were still unemployed in the region and mainly women,” he emphasised.
The part-time jobs initiative is just one of a menu of measures implemented by the Government to cushion the effects of the cost of living. Along with supporting farmers and cushioning the net effects of the increased cost of freight and the Russia-Ukraine war, Guyanese are benefiting from a range of tax incentives. Among these incentives are removal of VAT on electricity, water and data; reduction of the excise tax on fuel to zero; in addition to many non-tax measures, such as the one-off $25,000 relief grant; reintroduction and increase of the schoolchildren cash grant, as well as its extension to private school students; and a one-off $28,000 cash grant for pensioners and cash grants to support small businesses.
The job opportunities allow for the employees to work for 10 days and earn up to $40,000 on a monthly basis. The jobs are being offered in specific areas within Government Ministries and agencies, and cater to one person per household. So far, some 11,000 Guyanese are currently benefiting from the programme countrywide, and this would cost the Government some $10 billion annually.
