The reality of today’s world is that having a skilled workforce is an imperative to spur  economic development because of growing technological advancement. This dramatic growth and use of technology has resulted in a huge demand for skilled labour and a decrease in the demand for unskilled labour. And as time goes by, having a skill will become a necessity in finding a good job in any part of the world.
Many countries, particularly developing ones such as Guyana, have been  seriously affected by a shortage of skilled labour, largely due to the “brain drain” as people seek “greener pastures” in the developed world. But those “greener pastures” are gradually drying up and people will be forced to remain in their home countries particularly against the backdrop of the financial crisis and economic recession which are taking their toll on the developed world.
Guyana is at the crossroads for an economic take-off and therefore would need all the skilled labour it could possibly get if this journey is to be successful and effective.
President Donald Ramotar recently alluded to this when he was addressing the graduation ceremony of the National Training Project for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) and single parents.

The importance of a skilled population in an economy that is rapidly developing was emphasised by President Donald Ramotar, who pointed out that human capital is vital for the transformation of the Guyanese economy that is currently poised for a rapid take-off.

“Ahead of us, we see our country is poised for a rapid take-off and it would need all the human capital it can get in order to service the new economy that is envisaged,” the President told those gathered at the graduation ceremony.
Notably, Guyana has been making impressive moves in the direction of skills training through a comprehensive programme within the education sector as technical institutes are being opened up across the country.
Tasos Vossos in his article: Social and Cultural Factors As Barriers to Economic Growth notes: “Economic growth does not depend solely on competition for the lion’s share of profits in the market between industrialists or entrepreneurs. Social factors, such as education and the importance of social status, as well as cultural factors, including religion and customs, also have an impact on an economy’s progress. Contrasts between countries with comparable reserves of resources and equal populations can show how such factors have the ability to become a barrier for economic growth.

A highly skilled workforce is an essential component of a productive economy. Especially in industries that require specialised skills — such as the media, software development and information technology — lack of skilled employees can even lead to “import” of foreign skilled workers such as the foreign IT workers in the United Kingdom.”

However, while we are embarking on a programme to equip our workforce with the appropriate skills needed for our economic transformation and advancement, we need to equally pay attention to ways in which we can retain
our skilled workers. We need to explore what incentives and other motivating factors which could be implemented to stem the outflow of our skilled labour.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Europe constitutes the region with the largest volume of migrant workers (27.5 million or 34%), followed by Asia with 22.1 million or 27% foreign labour. In Europe and elsewhere, demographic, economic and labour-market related trends have resulted in the increased demand for skilled foreigners (e.g. in the health and care sector) and the revival or intensification of temporary (‘guest worker’) migration schemes. At the same time, rising numbers of undocumented migrants working in lower skilled jobs, often in specific sectors, can be witnessed as for instance in the UK. Migrant workers’ specific locations within labour markets and the temporary or undocumented nature of their migration status entail specific legal, social and economic constraints. This is likely to have implications also for rights advocacy by civil society organisations.
So the reality is, migration of skilled labour is a matter that must be addressed with the greatest effort because if we do not then we will not be able to have the desired rate of economic acceleration.