Government and Private Sector Representatives at the Diaspora Job Fair
Reverse Brain Drain Efforts
The government of Guyana is keen to reverse the brain drain and bring Guyanese nationals back to fill jobs at home. As a consequence of steady emigration, especially beginning in the 1970s, approximately only half of Guyanese now live within the borders of Guyana, with the remainder scattered in diaspora communities across the globe.
Job Fair in New York
Some 16 Guyanese private sector companies were part of a Diaspora Job Fair in New York on Saturday seeking to recruit persons to take up vacant positions in their companies. However, the government has provided no information about how many Guyanese national jobseekers attended the New York job fair, or how many people were hired on that occasion.
Keynote Address
Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, while delivering the keynote address, noted that this is a fulfillment of a commitment made by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to host Job Fairs in different parts of the globe to reach out to the Guyanese diaspora. He stated that the government is undertaking this effort to ensure that Guyanese nationals are adequately updated on developments within their country and are not spectators to the transformation taking place, but rather drivers, leaders, and key beneficiaries of the progress and transformation.
Skills Gap
The International Office on Migration did a study a year and a half ago, which found that there is a significant skills gap in Guyana. Currently, there is work being undertaken by an Indian expert within the Ministry of Labour to assess what are the skills needed in the various sectors and to identify strategies to fill those gaps.
Job Fair Objectives
The job fair is intended to energize, excite, and build interest in the second and third-generation diaspora. Persaud noted that the government is making a deliberate conscious and sustained effort to reach out to the diaspora, which is over a million people in different parts of the world.
Conclusion
The government of Guyana is committed to reversing the brain drain and bringing Guyanese nationals back to fill jobs at home. The Diaspora Job Fair in New York is part of this effort, and the government is working to identify the skills needed in various sectors and to fill those gaps.
FAQs
Q: How many Guyanese private sector companies participated in the Diaspora Job Fair in New York?
A: 16
Q: How many Guyanese national jobseekers attended the New York job fair?
A: The government has provided no information on this.
Q: How many people were hired on that occasion?
A: The government has provided no information on this.
Q: What is the purpose of the job fair?
A: To recruit persons to take up vacant positions in their companies and to energize, excite, and build interest in the second and third-generation diaspora.
Q: Why is the government making a deliberate conscious and sustained effort to reach out to the diaspora?
A: To ensure that Guyanese nationals are adequately updated on developments within their country and are not spectators to the transformation taking place, but rather drivers, leaders, and key beneficiaries of the progress and transformation.