Latest update November 14th, 2024 12:12 AM
Unemployment level unknown – Labour Minister
The Ministry of Labour has been unable to establish the level of unemployment in Guyana and is working feverishly to ascertain this information.
Labour Minister Dr. Nanda Gopaul made this revelation at his Ministry’s year-end press conference on Wednesday at the entity’s boardroom. He said that the necessary figures will be provided when the Bureau of Statistics completes compiling data of the census conducted in 2012.
Labour Minister
Dr. Nanda Gopaul
However, the Ministry’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency has been helping to link persons seeking employment to companies. From January to November 29 this year, the agency registered 4,000 persons and placed nearly 3,000 workers in various sectors.
The Minister said that it is important to note that in 2013 there were more employers clamouring for workers than the agency has been able to register. Essentially, there have been fewer applicants for jobs on the labour market.
The job areas that employers are seeking to fill are commercial workers such as sales personnel, clerical staff and security personnel. The agency has been unable to meet those demands for employers.
The Minister did not say, and perhaps because information from the census is unavailable, whether persons are no longer seeking jobs. As such, these persons are no longer on the unemployment list.
Another issue addressed is underemployment and unemployment of thousands of University of Guyana graduates. Somewhat offering a solution to this problem, the Minister opined that persons applying to the University should pursue programmes in Information Technology, Mathematics and Natural Sciences where jobs are available.
He noted that it is unfortunate that for a number of years, persons have graduated from the University with Bachelor of Science Degrees in Business, Sociology, Political Science and other related fields, but there are few jobs available in those areas.
Dr. Gopaul said that graduates are not registering with the agency. He said that owing to technology the agency has regionalised the registration of applicants in one central database. As such, the agency could tell the level of unemployment.
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