— Min. Edghill informs House during budget presentation

FROM 2017 to 2019, the unemployment rate in Guyana increased from 12.2 percent to 13.4 percent and the new administration aims to reverse this over the next five years through the creation of 50,000 jobs.

This was according to Minister of Public Infrastructure, Juan Edghill, as he presented government’s $329.5B budget to the National Assembly, on Wednesday.
The minister noted that Guyana’s labour force is in constant flux, but more recently, statistics from the quarterly Labour Force Survey, published by the Bureau of Statistics, reveal a declining labour force participation rate.

Falling from 54.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017, to 49 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019, the minister said the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Labour will place priority focus on design and compliance with labour standards, rules and regulations across all sectors.

He said that the application of rules in the context of managing within a pandemic will also be maintained, in consultation with unions, even as government works to ensure expanded employment opportunities and skills-development of the labour force.

Minister Edghill said sustainable job creation that supports the socio-economic objectives within in a low carbon development trajectory will shape government’s delivery through strong and effective labour administration’s services.

The aggressive promotion of decent work, he said, was to ensure that an improved quality of life for workers in both the public and the private sectors was non-negotiable, even with the emergence of a new sector.

“In this new dynamic environment, while welcoming international companies, we will not compromise on compliance with our local laws, occupational health and safety regulations and the basic principles of equal pay for equal work,” the minister said.