Shadow Labor Minister Denishwar Jaiprashad Slams Gov’t Over Brain Drain and Labor Shortage: Calls for Holistic Workforce Policies
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News
As Guyana observed Labor Day 2025, Shadow Minister of Labor Denishwar Jaiprashad sharply criticized the government for failing to address the country’s deepening labor crisis, blaming the ongoing brain drain and lack of sustainable employment practices for the mass exodus of skilled Guyanese workers.
“We are in a very bad state. Every single agency, every single sector is suffering from labor shortage,” Jaiprashad told Nightly News during a telephone interview on Thursday.
Despite the government touting new job creation—particularly for youth—Jaiprashad said the unemployment rate remains high because the jobs do not offer livable wages or long-term stability. He pointed out that teachers, nurses, and doctors continue to leave Guyana for better-paying opportunities abroad, despite being trained locally at the state’s expense.
The opposition MP was especially critical of the government’s move to import foreign labor from countries like Bangladesh, calling it a short-sighted response that fails to empower local workers.
“We are training people in Guyana for the world,” he lamented, “but what happens to the country that trained you?”
Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), echoed Jaiprashad’s concerns at the annual Labor Day rally. He emphasized that collective bargaining rights must be honored and that no public servant—whether a nurse, teacher, miner, or sugar worker—should be treated as disposable.
“We need change where the state respects workers’ rights… and court rulings in favor of workers are enforced,” Lewis declared.
Meanwhile, Sherwyn Downer, leader of the United Workers Party, accused the government of hiding behind economic growth statistics, while ignoring the everyday struggles of working-class Guyanese.
“The government says we’re the fastest-growing economy,” Downer said, “but people don’t run from good things. People run from bad things. Where are the success stories for the working class?”
As labor stakeholders and political leaders unite in critique, the 2025 Labor Day observance highlights a growing call for comprehensive workforce development, retention strategies, and economic justice for Guyanese workers.
