–2,700 Guyanese hired in 2022
WITH thousands of Guyanese being employed in order to support the growing oil and gas sector, recent statistics show that hundreds more will be hired in 2023, all thanks to the continued efforts of the government to ensure that locals are able to benefit from opportunities in this area.
According to the Local Content Secretariat, for 2022, 2,700 Guyanese were employed in the petroleum sector, with 1,500 comprising new hires.

Notably, among several other accomplishments by the Secretariat in 2022, around US$700 million was spent in the areas of procurement, employment and capacity development, and moreover, 1,800 training programmes were offered.
On the business side, around 850 Guyanese companies and businesses registered with the secretariat.

With the technical area within the oil and gas sector booming with job prospects, the area is expected to have 323 new hires for 2023. This was according to the calculation obtained using data from the Annual Plan Submissions of 25 major Tier-1 Sub-contractors operating in Guyana.

Following closely is the skilled arena, which comprises of positions such as the plant and machine operators, stevedores, warehouse coordinators and much more. The skilled field is expected to see 294 new hires for 2023.
As for the areas of administrative, health, business/finance and information technology (IT), there will be 69, 27, 16 and three new hires for 2023, respectively.

Earlier this year, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, had said that his government will stay “on the ball” in order to ensure that opportunities for Guyanese within the oil and gas sector are being utilised to the fullest.
“We are going to push to ensure that every service we can provide as a people will be provided. I am now working on a plan to go much larger, one in which…every single cent we can mobilise as a country to invest in a business opportunity in the oil and gas sector…to create an infrastructure that all those investors can invest and one in which even ordinary Guyanese will be able to invest so that they too can be part of the growth and development, not of this sector, but of all the opportunities around the sector. I will launch that very soon,” the Head of State said.

It was under Dr. Ali’s government that Guyana’s Local Content Act was passed into law, which paved the way for Guyanese to gain equal opportunities and access in the oil and gas sector, and to ensure maximum benefits for Guyanese businesses.
The Act outlines 40 sub-sectors which would legally require oil companies to procure goods and services, as well as, employ specific percentages of Guyanese in their day-to-day operations. It also sets out what defines a local company.

And the government has maintained that the legislation would not be set in stone, noting that amendments can be made to guarantee increased employment and business opportunities for the people of Guyana, as citizens train more and provide more services to the oil and gas sector.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C., has also continuously reiterated the government’s commitment to updating the country’s local content laws to reflect the growing oil and gas sector.