The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) has recorded more than 2.6 million temporary earning opportunities for young people in South Africa since its inception in 2020. Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli announced this while releasing the PYEI Quarterly Report for the 2026/27 financial year in Pretoria. The report highlights the progress made by the PYEI in supporting young people to participate economically and gain experience.
Mhlauli emphasized that temporary opportunities alone cannot resolve South Africa's youth unemployment challenge. The PYEI focuses on systems change, demand-led skills development, enterprise development, sustainable earning pathways, and connecting young people to opportunities through a national network. This approach aims to provide young people with practical experience, earn an income, and move along a pathway towards sustainable earning.
In the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, the PYEI recorded 139,693 earning opportunities secured by young people through the National Pathway Management Network. Of these, 106,093 opportunities were secured through SA Youth, while 33,600 earning and learning opportunities were secured through ESSA. Mhlauli also noted that about 70% of opportunities have been accessed by young women, demonstrating the network's contribution towards addressing gender disparities in access to economic opportunities.
The Youth Employment Service (YES) placed 5,244 young people into workplace experience opportunities during the first quarter. Mhlauli stressed that workplace experience is important because qualifications alone do not always provide young people with the practical experience required to enter the labour market. The PYEI places emphasis on creating pathways that allow young people to apply what they have learnt and develop practical workplace skills.
The Revitalised National Youth Service has also made progress, with 2,866 young people recruited into Phase 5 of the programme during the quarter. This is the largest phase of the Revitalised National Youth Service to date, recruiting 100,000 young people across South Africa. Since inception, the National Youth Service has provided 140,922 paid service opportunities across its five phases, with young women accounting for 68% of these opportunities.
The National Youth Development Agency provided 5,214 enterprise support opportunities during the first quarter, consisting of 4,795 non-financial and 419 financial opportunities. Across the ecosystem, enterprise support opportunities have now reached 277,349 since inception. The PYEI is also investing in new approaches to addressing the barriers young people face, with R95 million committed to the fourth Call for Proposals.
The PYEI has exceeded its target of engaging at least 5 million young people in the National Pathway Management Network, with more than 6 million young people registered and accessing opportunities through the network. The intervention has also supported young people to access more than 2.6 million temporary earning opportunities. The PYEI aims to engage 500,000 young people in sustainable earning opportunities through workforce development programmes.
Key points
- The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention has created over 2.6 million temporary earning opportunities for young people in South Africa since 2020.
- The PYEI focuses on systems change, demand-led skills development, and sustainable earning pathways to address youth unemployment.
- The programme has exceeded its target of engaging 5 million young people in the National Pathway Management Network.
