Pretoria: The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) has successfully created 155,161 new earning opportunities for young South Africans in the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. This was announced by Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, during a media briefing in Pretoria.
According to South African Government News Agency, the intervention continues to be a key tool in addressing youth unemployment. Launched in 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PYEI aims to transition young people from 'learning to earning' by coordinating efforts across government departments, the private sector, and civil society.
Deputy Minister Mhlauli highlighted the release of the fourth-quarter report, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 youth uprising, as a significant moment. She urged young South Africans to participate in the upcoming voter registration weekend to affirm their voices and contribute to the nation's democracy.
The report also detailed the expansion of the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN), which serves as the backbone of the intervention. Over 5.9 million young people are registered on the SA Youth platform, and more than 5.36 million on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) system.
Since its inception, the PYEI has facilitated access to over 2.5 million temporary earning opportunities through SA Youth and an additional 422,667 opportunities through ESSA. The intervention has also focused on advancing gender inclusion, with over 70% of opportunities accessed by young women.
Key achievements for the quarter included the placement of 18,310 young people into workplace experience opportunities through the Youth Employment Service (YES) and 5,005 work-integrated learning opportunities for TVET learners and graduates via the SETA placements programme.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) provided 6,085 opportunities to young entrepreneurs, while Phase 4 of the National Youth Service (NYS) recruited 5,272 young people, bringing the total number of service opportunities to 138,056 since inception. Phase 5 aims to recruit an additional 100,000 young people.
A notable highlight was the conclusion of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund Pilot, a R300 million initiative that exceeded its enrolment and job placement targets, demonstrating the effectiveness of outcomes-based financing in supporting disadvantaged youth. Plans are underway to scale this fund to R1 billion to deliver 20,000 job placements.
Progress was also noted through the NPMN Innovation Fund, with HPSA Southern Africa enrolling 1,800 young people in KwaZulu-Natal to provide agricultural and animal health services, with 678 already generating income.
Looking to the future, Deputy Minister Mhlauli emphasized the government's commitment to expanding work opportunities and strengthening partnerships to support young people in the upcoming financial year.