Over 4.78 million young people are now registered on the National Pathway Management Network, with more than 1.67 million earning opportunities secured to date through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli said.
Mhlauli said this reflects the strength of the PYEI approach in aggregating demand, coordinating partners and enabling pathways that enhance young people’s economic participation.
Addressing the media in Pretoria on the PYEI fourth quarter report of the 2024/2025 financial year on Monday, the Deputy Minister said the programme continues to make meaningful strides in unlocking sustainable earning opportunities for young people across South Africa.
The report covered the period from January to March 2025.
WATCH | Deputy Minister briefs media on the PYEI report
According Mhlauli, over R70 million had been disbursed to 11 implementing partners, including R30 million in this quarter alone.
“We are particularly proud of the continued momentum of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, which uses an innovative pay-for-performance model to incentivise the placement of young people into sustained, quality jobs, has made steady progress in its pilot phase.”
Mhlauli said by the end of March 2025, over 5,400 young people had been enrolled reaching 65% of the programme’s enrolment target.
“More than 3 000 young people had been placed into quality jobs and over R70 million had been disbursed to 11 implementing partners including R30 million in this quarter alone. These jobs are not just temporary placements.
“They are quality jobs, defined by duration, income level, and growth potential. We are already seeing shifts in employer practices as a result to better accommodate excluded young people,” Mhlauli said.
The Deputy Minister said government remains committed to building a connected, demand-led ecosystem that not only creates opportunities but also drives systems change in the labour market.
“As always, the success of this initiative is due to the ongoing collaboration between government, private sector, development partners, and the young people themselves.
“We will continue sharing our progress through these quarterly reports. As always, detailed data and insights are available on the PYEI dashboard at www.stateofthenation.gov.za .
“We also invite our youth to register on SAYouth.Mobi which is a zero-rated site where they will access information about the PYEI as well as all youth empowerment related matters,” she explained.
Launched in 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PYEI is a direct response to the challenge that too many young people are not transitioning from learning to earning.
The PYEI is South Africa's most comprehensive effort yet to address this crisis. Its goal is to transition young people successfully from learning to earning.
The PYEI coordinates, accelerates, and enhances existing programmes while driving innovation and creating pathways to earning for young people at scale.
To this end, the intervention brings together the strengths of numerous government institutions and social partners to deliver more opportunities for young people. The PYEI integrates with other interventions coordinated by the Project Management Office in the Presidency to drive structural reforms and enable job creation.
The PYEI seeks to coordinate, accelerate and enhance existing programmes while driving innovation and creating pathways to earning for young people at scale.
The PYEI is focused on four pillars namely:
• Implementation of the Pathway Management Network,
• Implementation of demand-led training through a ‘pay for performance’ model
• Rollout of the revitalised National Youth Service,
• And Implementation of interventions to stimulate local economies through the establishment of Local Ecosystem Enablement Fund.
At a briefing on the PYEI third quarter report in February, the Deputy Minister said the initiative remains a cornerstone of national efforts to address the persistent challenge of youth unemployment by ensuring that young South Africans have access to economic opportunities.
READ | PYEI makes progress in creating opportunities for youth
“Over 53 379 earning opportunities were secured through the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN), bringing the total to 1.57 million opportunities since the inception of the PYEI,” the Deputy Minister said at the briefing in February.
– SAnews.gov.za
