Skilled workers in short supply here

A LABOUR Market Intelligence (LMI) survey, the first of its kind locally, has found that there’s a scarcity of skilled workers in the local labour market.The report highlighted that a larger percentage of workers are fixed at an educational attainment level of primary and secondary education and this does not help with filling the gaps.

It was also concluded that workplaces should have skilled training and retaining programmes of their own to meet the skills gap.
These are conclusions drawn from the survey carried out by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security Statistical Unit in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which was conducted in the ten administrative regions of Guyana.
The LMI survey interprets the past, present or future structure and workings of the labour market and the factors that influence it. The survey seeks to inform stakeholders in the labour market on the economic and labour market conditions; education, qualifications, training and skills; current and future demand and supply of labour and jobs; and vacancies and recruitment.
The survey monitored the skills demand and supply in the construction and engineering, forestry, manufacturing, hotel and hospitality; and commercial trades sector. This report was presented to the public yesterday at the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston, Georgetown.

REDUCING UMEMPLOYMENT
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Patrick Findlay, said that the Labour Market Intelligence survey was a necessity since the empirical data of Guyana is absent in the labour market.
According to Findlay, the study revealed that the youths of Guyana who are leaving the education institutions are in need of jobs, hence they are bothered by the fact that jobs are not readily available. “This (LMI) is but one step in the direction to reduce unemployment,” he said.
He noted that employers have expressed their concerns that the youths leaving the vocational training institutions are not suitably trained, which indicated a mismatch on what persons are trained to do and what the labour market requires, hence the need for the country to have skilled workers.
Findlay explained, “I am of the opinion that there are other areas where collaborations can take place as it pertains to skill training. Entrepreneurship should be encouraged so that persons trained can establish their own businesses. At this junction of our history here in Guyana, we need to develop a highly steered work force.
“…I am convinced that we need to continue improving the attitude of young men and women towards work.”
The Permanent Secretary said that women accessing the skills training programme but calls for an increase in the number of women involved.
Findlay thanked CTVET for affording the statistical unit the opportunity to carry out the survey. And gratitude on behalf of the Ministry was expressed to the Inter-American Development Bank for financing and giving important technical assistance with the survey and the completion of the report.

IN DEMAND
According to the report, the gap between the demand and supply of labour revealed that the occupational fields in demand are managerial, technicians and machine operators, with inadequate provisions to supply these skills. The survey was carried out in 317 establishments, with some 17,000 persons employed, which is seven per cent of the workforce in Guyana, according to the 2002 census report.
Of the 17,000, 16,167 persons were categorised as managerial, highly skilled, and basic skilled or other, with the remaining unaccounted for. Of the 16,167 persons, 39 per cent were considered basic skills level staff, 34 per cent occupy the other employees’ category, and 15 per cent were highly skilled with four per cent being managerial or supervisory.
It was also found that the majority of the workforce was in the age grouping 30 to 50 years which is approximately 53 per cent. The survey revealed that the age group 15 to 29 holds 35 per cent of the sample studied, with 12 per cent of persons over 50 years.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Another component of the LMI is the years of work experience. Employers in the five sectors indicated that they usually consider three attributes of potential employees – knowledge and skill; responsibility and commitment; and prior experience. Forty-six per cent of the 16,167 workforce had one to five years of experience, with 40 per cent having six or more years’ experience.
Efforts were also made to access the educational attainment of the labour force. The level of the schooling of the workers was assessed. Fifty-four per cent attended and completed secondary school; 7.9 percent were university graduates; one per cent of post graduates and four percent with specialised training.
The main difficulties with the recruiting of staff are the applicants’ lack of experience at 25 percent, under-qualified applicants, insufficient compensation and incompatibility of working hours.

NEXT 5 YEARS
Over a one-year period, it was found that in the commercial trade sector there were 53 per cent of the 1,216 available vacancies in the five sectors. The demand for basic skilled workers for that period was approximately 63 per cent; highly skilled comprised of 13 percent.
The LMI survey gave a bird’s-eye view of the future plans of the establishments reviewed. Ninety-seven of the 317 establishments plan to recruit staff in the next five years, 94 per cent plan for expansion and/ or extension and 78 per cent will be focusing on capital or infrastructure expansion in the next five years.
Giving the closing remarks was Sydney Walters, Director of CTVET, who highlighted the necessity of the LMI survey.

(By Sandy Agasen)