For a period of time, extending, perhaps over several two decades, Guyanese have been actively debating (and in some instances, pursuing) options for self-employment, some of which have embraced niches in the agricultural, agro-processing, craft, beauty, retail and services sectors that can serve as alternative stable and long-term income-generating options. Arguably, the consideration that influenced this preoccupation most was the incremental loss of appetite for employment in the public sector where, it finally began to dawn on Guyanese, that, at least on the lower rungs of the Public Service ladder, keeping body and soul together (as we say in Guyana) had become a considerable stretch, given the paucity of the emoluments paid by the state.
The pursuit of options outside the formal sectors have also been open to persons still in formal (public sector) employment but on the lookout for income subsidies elsewhere. In effect, what micro and small businesses in the non-traditional sectors have done is to create new income streams not just for persons directly employed in the sectors but also for persons seeking a starting point for their lives as earners.
