Georgetown: A researcher on international migration at Oxford University, England, has reported that some 780,000 Guyanese have left these shores over the past 48 years.
Simona Vezzoli in a recent study said most of the migrants are now settled in Canada, England and the U.S.
Vezzoli’s disclosure comes amid calls by various stakeholders across the country for the publishing of the National Census Report 2012.
On Tuesday, Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan told the National Assembly that the Government was playing games with Guyanese, and did not want to publish the report as it would show the areas where the Government has failed.
He noted that the ruling party constantly harps about large-scale development in the country, but was not providing the evidence contained in the National Census Report 2012.
According to Ramjattan, the Government boasts of the provision of jobs, but some 1000 persons migrate every month. He said this will be reflected in the census report, which he claims the Government is hiding.
However, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) was firmly committed to the continued strengthening of the national statistics system to provide strong evidence-based policy decisions.
He said the results from the census are being compiled, noting that the completion of a preliminary report was somewhat hampered by challenges of access to households and enterprises, particularly in mining areas in Regions One, Seven and Eight.
Singh anticipates that the preliminary report will be available by the end of the first half of the year.
The main report will provide information on a number of areas including changing age structure of the population, composition of the labour market, employment, ethnicity, gender, religion, education, quality of life and fertility rates, among others.
The analysis is also expected to include projections on the country’s population by 2050, based on current trends.
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