Over 1.67 Million Earning Opportunities Created Through PYEI by March 2025

In a significant update on South Africa’s largest coordinated effort to tackle youth unemployment, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, has announced that more than 1.67 million earning opportunities have been facilitated for young people across the country through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI).

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, the Deputy Minister presented the fourth quarter report of the 2024/2025 financial year, covering the period from January to March 2025. Mhlauli emphasized the progress made in scaling meaningful, sustained employment pathways for youth and highlighted the growing strength of the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN), which now boasts over 4.78 million registered young people.

Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund Gains Traction

A key success story from the quarter was the continued growth of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund—a pioneering initiative that uses a pay-for-performance model to reward organisations for placing young people in quality jobs.

By the end of March 2025, the programme had enrolled over 5,400 participants, reaching 65% of its initial pilot target. More impressively, more than 3,000 young people had been placed into durable and promising jobs, marking a pivotal shift in the landscape of youth employment initiatives.

“These jobs are not just temporary placements,” Mhlauli explained. “They are defined by duration, income level, and growth potential. We are already seeing employers adapt their practices to become more inclusive and accessible to excluded youth.”

Funding Momentum: R70 Million Disbursed

The report revealed that over R70 million was disbursed across 11 implementing partners since the inception of the fund, with R30 million released in the last quarter alone. These funds are used to scale demand-driven employment interventions, particularly those that create long-term, transformative impact for young people.

The initiative continues to enjoy strong backing from the private sector, development agencies, and civil society organisations, who work in partnership with the government to design and implement scalable, high-impact employment programmes.

Four Pillars Driving the PYEI Strategy

Launched in 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PYEI remains South Africa’s most ambitious youth employment strategy, built on four primary pillars:

1. Implementation of the Pathway Management Network (NPMN) – A digital ecosystem that connects youth to learning and earning opportunities.

2. Demand-led training through a pay-for-performance model – Incentivising training providers to link learning directly to employment.

3. Revitalised National Youth Service – Offering structured work experience and civic engagement across communities.

4. Local Ecosystem Enablement Fund – Supporting locally-driven solutions and entrepreneurship through community-based funding.

“These pillars enable a comprehensive response to the youth employment crisis—one that connects macro-level policy with grassroots implementation,” Mhlauli noted.

Scaling Access and Systemic Change

The SAYouth.Mobi platform, a zero-rated mobile site, remains the central digital hub for youth to access information and apply for opportunities. The platform now plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between potential and opportunity, especially for youth in rural and peri-urban areas.

Mhlauli also underscored that beyond creating job opportunities, the PYEI is catalyzing systems change in the labour market, making it more inclusive, transparent, and demand-oriented. “We are not only creating jobs but transforming the pathways through which young people navigate their economic futures,” she said.

Integrated National Vision

The PYEI aligns closely with other key government strategies, including the National Development Plan 2030, and integrates with labour market reforms under the Presidency’s Project Management Office. The intervention promotes coherence among government departments, especially the Department of Employment and Labour, Higher Education and Training, and Small Business Development.

The model is also gaining attention as a global best practice in creating integrated employment ecosystems in developing economies, and has attracted interest from regional and international stakeholders.

Continued Transparency and Monitoring

The Deputy Minister reaffirmed her commitment to transparency, promising that the PYEI’s progress will continue to be shared through quarterly reports and real-time data dashboards on www.stateofthenation.gov.za.

At a previous third-quarter briefing held in February, Mhlauli reported 1.57 million earning opportunities to date—a number that has since increased by over 100,000 opportunities in just one quarter.

A Future-Focused Commitment

“South Africa’s youth are ambitious, resilient, and full of potential,” Mhlauli concluded. “Our job as government is to ensure the systems, platforms, and partnerships exist to help them succeed. The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention is not just a programme—it’s a promise to our youth that they will not be left behind.”