Guyana’s agriculture sector has in the past years recorded a huge growth in earnings at 84 per cent – reflecting the government’s push to diversify the economy and ensure food security.
This was emphasised by President Irfaan Ali, as he addressed the issue of unemployment and salaries.
He dismissed as “opportunistic political narrative” the opposition’s claims of high unemployment and low wages.
He noted that the employment bulletin from the stats bureau shows a significant reduction – by more than 50 percent – in unemployment for the period 2020 to 2024, reflecting Guyana’s economic growth.
“From the first quarter of 2020, to the fourth quarter, we have more than 104,000 employed. So persons employed moved from 264,000 to almost 370,000 in the last quarter of 2024. That is more persons in the labour force becayse tere are more jobs available, because the economy is growing,” he said.
Meanwhile, he says earnings, particularly in the non-oil sectors, grew exponentially during the same period, demonstrating that growth is not restricted to the oil and gas sector. The president says most sectors including agriculture; recorded growth in earnings – ranging from 50 to 100 per cent.
Regarding the country’s employment needs – an assessment done by the Centre for Local Business Development shows that there is a labour shortage of more than 52,000. And a study done by the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) states that Guyana would need a minimum of 100,000 workers to realise the growth agenda the government is pursuing.