Dear Editor
I WRITE in response to an emerging dispute over the level of unemployment in Guyana today. The sad thing about this issue is that most of the people doing the debating are away from Guyana. This means that their arguments are based mostly on lagging data from sources such as the World Bank. The bare, naked truth is that unemployment in Guyana is practically non-existent. That is, for those who want to work. Everyone here knows that you are quite lucky if you can find workers at all, and even more so if they turn up as scheduled.

Those who live here and run a business or are doing home construction, or that need any kind of service, know the pain. I know this personally because I am doing some construction, but every week I get this from the supervisor of ‘dem boys’ – “Doc dem bai nah come in today.”

The main reason is that a person can leave a job in some fields such as construction and find another job, probably better paying, in less than a day. Contractors must watch out for those who want to siphon off their staff.
Pay has gone up dramatically. A young man who fetches water (literally), now makes more than his father did just a few years ago. A driver can make up to $300,000 a month, and that is without his gigs on the side. Masons are doing US$70-90 daily. The list goes on and on.

Again, there are plenty of jobs here for anyone who wants to work. Ask the Venezuelans!
Sincerely
Dr Randy Persaud