Jagdeo: 8,000 part-time jobs to be created countrywide

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo says that the government will create about 8,000 temporary jobs across the country to help families cope with the rising cost of living while the government works towards more long-term solutions.

Dr. Jagdeo, earlier this week, promised residents living along the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon- Supenaam) that 800 temporary jobs would be created at several government agencies and facilities for that region alone.

He had noted that the jobs would only be on a part-time basis and only one person per family can apply.

Since then, employment forms have been distributed online and in-person.

Beyond this area though, price hikes owed to challenges emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic and worsened by the ongoing Ukraine- Russia crisis, have increased people’s cost of living.

“… that is why we set aside an initiative in the last budget to hire this year, giving temporary employment to about 8,000 persons,” the Vice President announced on Thursday night, during a virtual discussion with a State media operative.

The initiative he referenced is part of the $5 billion sum allocated in the 2022 National Budget to fund interventions to cushion and counter the impact of the price hikes.

The Vice President, however, noted that the government is still deciding on how to spend the money.

Referencing the need for jobs in Region Two, Jagdeo said the government hopes it can help alleviate people’s concerns and help them “cope” by providing these jobs.

The plan, simultaneously, is to “structurally change the job market” to incentivise private investment and job creation.

According to Jagdeo, this structural adjustment is particularly important to the regions outside of Regions Three and Four. Already, the proximity of these regions to the coast has piqued companies’ interests.

Because of the sheer number of new developments in these two regions, Jagdeo also said that there have been shortages of skilled and unskilled labour there.

He, however, noted that the government wants to incentivise investments in other regions so that private businesses would also be interested in developing or expanding operations there.

He explained that these are longer term solutions to help the country counter external challenges.

These efforts are part of the government’s plan to create 50,000 jobs, Jagdeo said. He also pointed out that even when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced people’s work, the government’s decision to keep the economy open allowed many people to keep their jobs or become re-employed.