Migration: An ever-present dilemma

Migration has for quite some time been at the forefront of the political agenda of governments all around the globe. On one side of the coin, many countries have to grapple with the problem of key skills and labour disappearing from their shores, while on the other, some have to carefully manage the influx of people who want to seek a better quality of life for themselves and their families.
The history of the movement of people is perhaps as old as mankind, with the hunt for food and shelter dictating the livelihoods of families for thousands of years. Essentially, this phenomenon has continued in many different forms and all over the world to this day.
At present, the onset of rapid globalisation and increased competition for jobs and other economic opportunities, coupled more recently with economic recession in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, has made migration an even more urgent issue to be addressed by governments.
Immediately after the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean in the 1800s, the movement of labour began to be driven by the search for better jobs and livelihoods, a situation which has continued in various forms up until now.
In the 1970s, economic opportunities in the oil industry attracted migrants to work in refineries in the United States Virgin Islands, particularly St Croix, as well as Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
Then, the 1980s saw the energy boom in Trinidad and Tobago serve up the seemingly perfect enticement for well-paying jobs in an expanding economy.
The 1990s brought with it new employment opportunities in the service industry, with the growth of tourism throughout the region, including in some cases, financial services in jurisdictions where there was low or no taxation for off-shore banking, investment, and other related business ventures.
In the 2000s, continued unrest in the Middle East, fluctuations in worldwide fuel prices, and widespread economic recession have influenced the movement of labour in almost every part of the world.
In Guyana, the situation has been no different. Many Guyanese have, for decades, been migrating to the rest of the Caribbean, North America, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere to ply their trade and skills, forced in particular by rampant mismanagement of the Guyana economy and infrastructure, rigged elections, and dictatorship in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Pushed away from the land of their birth, the popular talk that “Guyanese are everywhere” has, therefore, become quite accurate in this regard, and one which will probably continue to be so for a long time.
But despite this global economic downturn, the Guyana economy has expanded in recent times and, with a growing and more robust private sector, this economic growth is more than likely to continue well into the coming years.
Private direct and indirect investments are on the rise; there is ongoing infrastructural development; greater public/ private sector partnership is evident; and, overall, increased economic activity is enhancing competition, technology, and modernisation, while at the same time reducing commodity prices and increasing consumer satisfaction.
With such turnaround in the local economy, there are already early indications that Guyanese are returning from all over to invest in their home country, given the available economic opportunities, as well as to reside permanently in some cases. While it may be too early to conclude that this will soon become a large-scale phenomenon, government’s efforts to reach out to the Guyanese diaspora is well-placed and will most certainly reap rich rewards in due course.
Also, there are clear signals that private individuals and businesses in the region and beyond are looking to take advantage of the increasing number of economic opportunities becoming available in Guyana, a trend which must be managed carefully in order to maintain the advantage for more Guyanese participation in the economy.
The country is still a long way off from reversing the “brain-drain” of the 1970s and 80s, and perhaps an even longer way off from being on the receiving end of a large-scale influx of people seeking better jobs and a better quality of life. But with continuing rapid expansion in the gold industry and the potential for oil in the not-too-distant future, such a situation is looming and one which could evolve sooner than expected. Government will, therefore, need to ensure that steps are taken to prepare the country adequately for such an eventuality.