Over 350 Guyanese secure jobs through GtE Project

Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith, on Wednesday said hundreds of Guyanese have already secured employment through the Gas-to-Energy Project (GtE), as the Government intensifies efforts to align workforce development with major national investors. Delivering his maiden speech during day three of the National 2026 Budget Debates at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), the Minister disclosed that more than 350 persons have already been employed following a recent job fair linked to the project. “Just two months ago, we had a job fair because we were looking for a thousand people to employ. Thousands of persons came and signed up and so far over 350 persons are already employed at the gas the energy project. That is how you make impact, that is how you put the people first,” the Minister declared to the National Assembly. He described the initiative as a practical example of the Government’s “Putting People First” agenda, ensuring that planned large-scale infrastructure is converted into direct employment opportunities for the Guyanese people. According to Griffith, workforce placement for the GtE Project is being supported directly by the Ministry’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) as well as the National Job Bank which was launched in 2022 to connect job seekers with employers. He noted that by 2025, more than 11,000 job seekers were registered on the platform, with over 2,100 vacancies solicited from employers. The system has already facilitated employment for hundreds of young people between the ages of 18 and 35. To further strengthen labour market coordination, Griffith announced plans to establish a National Manpower agency, supported by a Labour Market Observatory. The new body will collect and analyse data on skill demand, wage trends and workforce gaps and employment compliance. “Evidence-based manpower planning isn’t just policy talk. It’s what we need right now with the kind of rapid growth and demographic change we’re seeing. To this end, we intend to establish a national manpower agency in this country which will include provisions for our labour market observatory that will generate labour market information and statistics in relation to labour demand, skills gaps, wage trends and compliance metrics. We have strategically positioned ourselves as one of the world’s most attractive investment hubs in order to safeguard the future of work in our country” the Minister said. Griffith said the Ministry has expanded its role beyond job placement to better protect workers and enforce labour standards, especially in high-risk sectors such as construction, mining, oil and gas and agriculture. Between 2020 and 2025, more than 12,800 labour inspections and over 6,100 occupational safety and health inspections were carried out nationwide. He noted that these efforts helped to reduce workplace fatalities by 12.7 per cent and cut non-fatal accidents by nearly 50 per cent. The Minister also pointed to improved staffing at the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Labour Departments, with the number of health and safety officers rising from nine in 2015 to more than 32 under the current administration. In addition, he highlighted progress in industrial relations, reporting that 111 collective labour agreements have been concluded since 2020, almost double the number under the previous administration. Recent agreements include those with Aurora Gold Mine, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). He ended by reaffirming his commitment to strengthening labour institutions and ensuring that workers remain central to national development.