— says local content, skills training and diversification policies expanding opportunities for Guyanese across key sectors
HIGHLY-technical positions are now increasingly being filled by Guyanese, as the country’s expanding oil and gas sector continues to drive rapid economic transformation, and create new opportunities for local talent, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.
The Head of State made these remarks during the opening of the 2026 Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo on Tuesday, noting that targeted investments in training, and robust local content policies are delivering tangible results in workforce development and job creation.
“Today, jobs; highly-technical jobs that were held by our friends from overseas are now held by Guyanese. We’re seeing growing numbers of companies on the local content register,” President Ali told delegates.
According to the Head of State, the progress reflects a deliberate push to rapidly upskill the country’s human resources, while encouraging stronger partnerships between foreign investors and local businesses.
“We are seeing increased skill sets and skill levels of our workforce; and we are seeing a momentum of foreign partners who are important, with the technology, the know-how and the experience now having a larger appetite to partner with local firms and local businesses in delivering their service to Guyana. That was because of a deliberate policy agenda, which was as a result of the investment we have made in upskilling at a rapid pace our human resource base, and giving our private sector the opportunity to grow and succeed,” he said.
Outside of the oil-and-gas sector, he noted that growth in ecotourism, manufacturing, agro-processing and aviation will further expand opportunities for skilled employment beyond the petroleum sector.
“We are already doing this; creating sustainable, high-value jobs, and that is why the economic diversification that leads into ecotourism, manufacturing, agro-processing, all of those areas, aviation, all of those areas will be creating high-level jobs,” he added.
Citing data from the Bureau of Statistics, President Ali had previously noted that unemployment had declined from 12.8 per cent in 2020 to 6.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. Female unemployment also fell significantly, from 14.4 per cent to below nine per cent, while employment gains were recorded across both urban and rural regions.
He’d further revealed that more than 104,000 new jobs were created between early 2020 and late 2024, with total employment approaching 370,000. The reduction in youth unemployment, he said, demonstrates stronger labour absorption as the economy expands, and more young people are integrated into the workforce.
Beyond infrastructure and job creation, President Ali emphasised the importance of human development. He said Guyana’s performance on the Human Development Index (HDI) has advanced across key indicators, including life expectancy, years of schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, reflecting the broader social impact of economic expansion.
“Already, we have seen a massive increase in employment levels. We have seen a massive decrease in unemployment levels. We have seen a massive increase in female participation in the workforce. A massive increase in female participation in the workforce directly impacts household income in different ways. Not only does it drive empowerment, but it also drives savings and it drives better investment decisions in those households,” he told participants and key stakeholders.
Last weekend, the President commissioned the US$120 million Guyana Technical Training College Inc. (GTTCI) at Port Mourant.
The President said the decision to construct the facility was shaped by strategic engagements in 2020 between the Government of Guyana and its development partners, including ExxonMobil.
He explained that rather than opting for short-term distribution of oil revenues, the administration chose to channel more than US$120 million into long-term national capacity building, focusing on infrastructure and human capital that will deliver sustained benefits for future generations.
The state-of-the-art institute, outfitted with advanced simulation technology, now joins a limited group of similar facilities globally.
The training institute is a critical pillar in Guyana’s strategy to convert oil wealth into human capital; strengthen local-content participation; diversify the economy and create stable, high-income technical careers for young Guyanese.
