Youth employment programme records strong first-quarter gains
· Citizen
The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) secured 139 693 earning opportunities for young people during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, between April and June 2026.
The government’s PYEI is designed to help bridge that gap by connecting young people with training, work opportunities, paid community service and support to start or grow businesses.
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Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli said the programme began the financial year with “continued momentum” across employment platforms, skills development, enterprise support and the National Youth Service.
More than six million on youth network
The SA Youth platform surpassed six million registered young people during the quarter, while almost 5.7 million people registered on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) system.
Since the PYEI began, young people have secured more than 2.6 million earning opportunities through SA Youth and a further 386 733 through ESSA. According to the PYEI Quarterly Progress Report released on Wednesday, 30 September, young women accessed almost 70% of opportunities available on SA Youth.
During the first quarter alone, SA Youth connected young people with 106 093 earning opportunities. ESSA provided a further 33 600 earning and learning opportunities.
“The network’s contribution to closing equity gaps in the labour market remains consistent,” Mhlauli said.
The PYEI has now exceeded two of its three targets set for the 2020-25 period. More than six million young people have registered on the National Pathway Management Network, exceeding the target of five million, while the programme has supported access to more than 2.6 million temporary earning opportunities, above the target of 1.5 million.
The third target, supporting 500 000 young people into sustainable earning opportunities, remains under assessment, with evaluations and tracing studies under way.
Workplace experience expands
The Youth Employment Service (YES) placed 5 244 young people in workplace experience opportunities during the quarter.
The placements bring the total number of workplace experience opportunities delivered through the PYEI to 233 393 since the programme began.
Of these opportunities, 72% came through YES, while 28% came through the Department of Higher Education and Training’s Sector Education and Training Authorities.
The programme uses private-sector partnerships to give young people practical experience in different parts of the economy.
The report described these placements as an important route for young people seeking to build work histories and improve their chances of future employment.
Youth Service recruits 100 000
The Revitalised National Youth Service began its largest phase to date during the quarter, with plans to recruit 100 000 young people across South Africa.
A further 2 866 young people joined the programme between April and June. This raised the total number of young people placed in paid service opportunities through the five phases of the programme to 140 922.
Young women account for 68% of the programme’s participants.
Mhlauli said Phase 5 represented “a major milestone” for the National Youth Service and would expand paid service opportunities for young people across the country.
Enterprise support continues
The National Youth Development Agency provided 5 214 enterprise support opportunities during the quarter. The support included 4 795 non-financial opportunities, such as business advice and development assistance, and 419 financial opportunities.
The report said the enterprise support component helps young people build and strengthen businesses, particularly where formal employment opportunities remain limited.
Across the wider PYEI ecosystem, enterprise support has provided 277 349 opportunities since inception.
Innovation Fund backs new ideas
The PYEI’s National Pathway Management Network Innovation Fund continued to support projects designed to remove barriers between young people and income-earning opportunities.
The Presidency, the Department of Employment and Labour and the Industrial Development Corporation finalised a fourth call for proposals, with R95 million committed to new youth employment initiatives. The call prioritises projects that connect rural and marginalised communities with the wider economy.
The fund will also favour proposals that combine microenterprise and gig work, support young women and people with disabilities, and help young people sustain earnings at or above the national minimum wage for at least 12 months.
By 30 June 2026, projects in the Innovation Fund portfolio had facilitated access to more than 32 000 earning opportunities. More than 52 000 unemployed young people had registered across the fund and its supported projects.
The fund’s fourth call is aimed at areas with high youth unemployment, including rural communities, peri-urban areas, townships and identified poverty nodes.
Funded projects show early results
Other Innovation Fund projects also recorded progress during the quarter.
Umuzi enrolled 3 404 young people and secured 4 373 paid gig-economy opportunities. Participants earned an average of R4 314 per gig, more than double the programme’s R2 000 benchmark.
Property Point had 126 partner agencies hosting 440 young people in estate-agency pathways. Participants concluded 249 property deals, with 66 young people completing deals during the reporting period.
Mhlauli said the first quarter had created “a strong foundation for the year ahead”. She added that the focus for the rest of the 2026-27 financial year would be to scale successful initiatives and keep young people’s ambitions at the centre of the intervention.