Guyana’s rapidly expanding economy is creating acute labour shortages across the private sector, with firms struggling to find workers who combine formal qualifications with practical experience, the head of the Private Sector Commission said.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Gerry Gouveia Jr., said manpower supply has emerged as one of the top three constraints on business growth, alongside access to capital and technology.
Speaking virtually at a migration forum at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Gouveia said employers are increasingly finding that certified workers often lack hands-on experience, while experienced workers require further upskilling.
“So we really have people who have the certificates… but they don’t have the experience,” he said, adding that the gap is most evident in middle-management roles such as supervisors, foremen, and managers.
He said those positions require a blend of technical competence, leadership skills, and on-the-job experience that the current labour pool is struggling to meet.
Gouveia acknowledged government efforts to expand training through technical institutes and scholarship programmes, but said workforce development is not keeping pace with the speed of economic growth.
“And the rate that our economy is growing, we need solutions now while we build the next generation of professionals,” he said.
He added that while upskilling initiatives are underway, shortages continue to constrain operations across sectors.
Gouveia said the private sector is increasingly turning to the diaspora and international labour markets to help bridge gaps while local training capacity expands.
