Minimum wage is too low in Guyana

Apr 13, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

Many Guyanese will agree that the minimum wage in Guyana is too low, given that Guyana is an oil producing nation.

Yet, to raise minimum wages will push up prices as the increased cost businesses will incur needs to be paid for. Therefore, an increase in minimum wages will increase the cost of living in Guyana.

So, what can be done?

The minimum wage can be increased with price controls in place.

Another thing that needs to be examined is to reduce taxation on citizens, leading to more disposable income for workers.

There are other alternatives like job creation on a humongous scale. This may mean using monies from the NRF to build new viable companies. The banking sector needs such a national company as there needs to be bank branches in every major town and villages as well as The City. Then, privatise these new companies in time.

The job creation strategy is to enable more people in the family to be working, leading to less financial stress for families. In time, productivity per person will increase, leading to better wages as more job opportunities will be abound.

Guyana can also look into creating a better welfare state whereby citizens who are of working age and are unemployed can have an income. This is not a long-term solution to poverty, as some citizens will end up having money but no skill, leading to a dependency syndrome.

The real problem affecting Guyana is the brain drain, leading to less skilled workers being employed who, when trained, move onto greener pastures.

Sincerely,

Sean Ori

(Minimum wage is too low in Guyana)

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dependency syndrome, Guyana, oil producing nation., poverty, workers

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