Latest update March 27th, 2026 12:40 AM
Revamped immigration policy can assist Guyana in attracting essential skills from diaspora
Kaieteur News- International Economist, Terence Yhip, has called on Guyana to develop a comprehensive immigration policy as part of its strategy to attract the needed skills in the diaspora.
In a recently released research piece examining Guyana’s labour shortage, Yhip underscored the need for Guyana’s policymakers to explore ways that they can attract foreign investors as well as skills from diaspora groups.
International Economist, Terence Yhip
According to the economist, who is Guyanese by birth, the government must develop a long-term growth and development plan, which is a prerequisite for managing imbalances between the demand for and the supply of occupational skills. “A revamped immigration policy should be an integral part of the development plan. Guyana needs to subsume the diaspora initiative under a Ministry of Manpower and Immigration. The diaspora can contribute to the narrowing of Guyana’s skills deficit, but the emphasis ought to be the ‘seine’ of immigration that will ‘catch’ talent in large numbers with a range of skills and know-how,” he explained
The economist suggested that policymakers should start from a long-term plan of at least 10 years. He suggested too, that they can identify recent imbalances and make a long-range demand-supply forecast serving as a planning tool. He emphasised, “With this structured approach, rather than an ad hoc, reactive diaspora policy, policymakers would have a better line of sight — like the greater visibility afforded by an elevated driving position in an SUV — of labour market developments to adopt corrective measures.”
According to Yhip, the Labour Ministry will have a staff of highly technical and professional people, doing the labour market analysis and forecasting, providing vital inputs into manpower and immigration policy, such as training, how many immigrants to let into the country, and which types of specific skills are in demand.
The economist opined, “Through this structured approach, Guyana would be better equipped to provide social services, housing, health care, and so on. The Ministry would have the advantages of solid expertise, accountability and transparency for the recruitment and hiring process.” “This Ministry would need to work in concert with critical Ministries like Health, Education, Transportation, and Home Affairs to provide high-quality services and conditions to attract and retain foreign talent,” he added.
Yhip emphasised that with the right bureaucratic and governance structures, Guyana should be able to tap the Guyanese diaspora for knowledge transfer and investment.
“There must be coordinated efforts by all critical Ministries to ensure high levels of services for Guyana to be seen as an attractive place to live and work. The diaspora can promote direct investment and create businesses, but the continuing racial division amongst Guyanese of African and Indian descent breeds political patronage, corruption, and encourages capital flight. These are not the conditions for economic transformation,” the economist suggested.
Despite a 25 per cent increase in business in the Manufacturing and Services Industry, last year there was a reported massive skill and labour shortage in Guyana that hindered the growth of industries and limited the country’s overall economic potential. As such, President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), Ramsay Ali, in his annual report, emphasised efforts to remedy the challenge. He noted that GMSA met with representatives of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill School of Business and Management to discuss training needs in the manufacturing sector.” “We agreed that research is first needed to identify the specific skills and knowledge gaps within industries. By conducting this research, targeted training programmes will be developed to equip individuals with the necessary skills to fill the labour shortage,” the GMSA President stated.
Additionally, the businessman posited that collaboration with the University of the West Indies will ensure that the training programmes are of high quality and align with international standards. After the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the University of the West Indies Cave Hill School and GMSA, solidifying our commitment to addressing these gaps.
(Revamped immigration policy can assist Guyana in attracting essential skills from diaspora)
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