The Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), today called on the Government to craft a more diverse approach to address the frustration among young people here that may be forcing them to migrate and seek greener pastures elsewhere.

At a press conference today, APNU Member and Attorney-at-Law, Ronald Daniels said more of the country’s young citizens are frustrated about low wages and not being adequately and fairly compensated for their skills and qualifications.

“When we look at the statistics between 2024 and 2025 it show us an increase in youth unemployment from 12.1 to 12.6 and while we might have the largest employment population constituted among the youths, the statistics are alarming and we usually have complaints about the integrity of the process to fill government vacancies, even persons that have attained GOAL qualifications are complaining about their inability to get jobs that match their skillset,” Daniels said.

Additionally, Daniels said young people are also frustrated by what appears to be a perception that they can only succeed if they are connected to the government.

He said young people should never have to demonstrate allegiance to a political party, attend political activities, publicly endorse political figures or become politically connected to improve their chances of accessing a job, contract, appointment or other opportunity.

“Our advocacy is for the government to put these transparent systems in place so that we can have persons skill set matching the employment and also to have a compensable salary so that this wealth that we talk about and this is real wealth”, Daniels said.

He said the country’s macroeconomic wealth must be translated to the ordinary man, especially the youths.

Meanwhile, APNU Member, Michael Richmond also spoke on the issue noting that economic growth cannot be measured by GDP, oil production, government revenue or the number of projects announced but by wages, purchasing power, employment opportunities and the ability of ordinary citizens to build wealth.

“Young professionals are entering a labour market where the cost of living has risen sharply, while many salaries have failed to keep pace with the reality of modern Guyana. Food is expensive. Rent is expensive. Transportation is expensive. Building a house is expensive. Owning a vehicle is expensive. Starting a business requires significant capital. Yet we continue to expect young people to survive on salaries that leave little room for savings, investment or meaningful economic advancement,” Richmond noted.

The Government has been boasting that unemployment among young people has been on a steady decline. 

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