Economist Dr Roger Hosein strongly believes that Venezuelans entering T&T will not deprive locals of jobs.He said so in an interview while Commenting on the registration process set to begin for Venezuelans in T&T at the end of May.
He said their presence in the country can bolster the local economy, especially as it relates to labour productivity.
Once registered and approved, Venezuela nationals will be allowed to work in the country for up to a year.
Many locals have expressed scepticism over the initiative as they believe there are not enough job opportunities.
However, Hosein is of the view that the registration will boosts the T&T economy.
He said, “With a lot of Venezuelan workers coming to Trinidad and Tobago could be a boom so that, if we were to increase the labour force by 54,000 Venezuelans and we assume that they have similar or better work ethic then, what we will find is that within one year the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could increase by as much as TT$10 billion.”
Hosein, however, believes the Government should have directed these Venezuelan migrants towards “low-end work” including in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
In doing so the he said, “We would have been able to potentially improve on the capacity utilization rate in the manufacturing sector from around 67 per cent perhaps to around 90 per cent.
On the flipside, he said there may be social implications for this country especially with the spiralling rate of crime.
According to Hosein, “The greater availability of guns and drugs and associated types of activity may be in some way linked to the enhanced presence of Venezuelans crossing the borders into Trinidad and Tobago”
Hosein also suggested that the State consider a gun amnesty in T&T to get some of the illegal firearms off the streets.
He also does not believe the influx of Venezuelans will put a strain on the country’s health sector resources.
Noting that the condition of the hospitals could not possibly get any worse, Hosein added: “Yes we have just a few health centres, but we have ample health centres and other facilities distributed throughout the country and we should insist that people go to health centres for primary healthcare and other type of health interventions before they go to the public health system.”
He stressed the need for the Government to manage the Venezuela registration policy carefully in an effort to ensure all parties involved benefit.