The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), launched in 2020 to tackle South Africa’s high youth unemployment rate, has officially surpassed its goal of reaching 5 million young people. To date, the programme has provided more than 1.5 million earning opportunities across the country.
Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, announced the results for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year during a media briefing in Johannesburg. Between April and June 2025, over 234 000 opportunities were made available to young people through the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN).
“These results reflect the collective efforts of government, private sector, and civil society partners to link young people to meaningful pathways into the labour market. A major highlight of the quarter was the launch of Phase 4 of the Revitalised National Youth Service (NYS), which will provide 40 000 paid service opportunities to young people across the country,” said the Deputy Minister.
Revitalised National Youth Service
The NYS, implemented by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) under the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, plays a vital role in building active citizenship. The initiative engages young people in structured service opportunities that contribute to their communities while enhancing their skills, work readiness, and confidence. Since its relaunch, the NYS has already placed more than 84 000 young people in paid service roles, strengthening both individual growth and community development.
Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund
Another key PYEI programme is Jobs Boost, which uses a R300 million outcomes-based funding model to address youth unemployment. It partners with training providers to help excluded youth gain access to high-quality jobs. By the end of June 2025, over 8 100 young people had been enrolled, with 5 436 successfully placed into sustainable employment. More than R115 million has already been disbursed to 12 partners for verified results.
The Deputy Minister highlighted that “the programme is already exceeding expectations in job retention rates, with thousands of young people sustaining employment beyond three and six months.”
Jobs Boost also received global recognition this year after being selected as one of ten winners of the Outcomes Finance Alliance’s Outcomes Accelerator from over 500 applications. This prestigious award positions Jobs Boost as a global leader in outcomes-based financing and youth employment innovation.
“The grant provides funding and technical support to scale the initiative beyond its pilot phase—enabling the programme to reach thousands more excluded young people and deepen its work in linking funding directly to quality, sustained jobs. As we scale Jobs Boost, this support will help us reach thousands more excluded young people with life-changing employment opportunities," Mhlauli said.
Looking Ahead
The PYEI will continue to focus on unlocking opportunities in high-growth sectors, strengthening pathways that connect young people to work, and scaling innovative programmes that create measurable impact. With millions already reached, the initiative remains one of South Africa’s most significant interventions in addressing youth unemployment and building a more inclusive economy.
