The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) has recorded progress in the period from January to March, the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, as well as since its inception by the President in 2020.

This was highlighted by deputy minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli, speaking at a PEYI fourth-quarter progress report media briefing, in Pretoria, on June 19.

She explained that the PYEI is the country’s comprehensive flagship strategy designed to address the chronic youth unemployment crisis. It acts as a multi-sector action plan aimed at transitioning young people from ‘learning to earning’. It aims to complement existing systems by coordinating, accelerating and enhancing national efforts across government departments, the private sector and civil society

Mhlauli acclaimed that the PYEI maintained progress across its core delivery components to transition young people from learning to earning.

“Our latest quarterly report confirms the massive scale of the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN). Currently, over 5.9-million young people are registered on SA Youth, and over 5.36-million are registered on Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA),” she highlighted.

Since 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, Mhlauli pointed out, highlighting strides in gender parity with over 70% of opportunities on SA Youth accessed by young women.

In the fourth quarter, 155 161 new earning opportunities were accessed through the network, an increase on the previous quarter. This includes 20 152 earning and learning opportunities secured via ESSA.

Mhlauli indicated that the core implementation portfolios and partnerships delivered very good momentum in the period.

The private-sector-led Youth Employment Service (YES) placed 18 310 young people into workplace experience opportunities.

Concurrently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) sector education and training authorities placements delivered 5 005 work-integrated learning opportunities for technical and vocational education and training learners and graduates, more than double the amount in the previous quarter.

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) provided 6 085 financial and non-financial enterprise opportunities (5 553 non-financial and 532 financial) to support young entrepreneurs in building their businesses.

Phase 4 of the revitalised National Youth Service (NYS) recruited an additional 5 272 young people into its final cohort, bringing total paid service opportunities to 138 056 since inception.

Looking forward, Phase 5 is set to recruit an additional 100 000 young people across South Africa next quarter, Mhlauli informed.

The fourth quarter also marked the conclusion of implementation for the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund Pilot, a R300-million pay-for-performance mechanism that requires implementing partners to achieve verified, sustained employment before receiving 80% of their funding.

As of March 30, the pilot achieved 9 174 young people enrolled, reaching 110% of the enrolment target; 7 044 job placements secured, exceeding the initial target by 54%; and 5 211 three-month sustained jobs being verified, with 3 795 sustained to six months as final verifications continue.

Mhlauli highlighted that it showed that outcomes-based financing successfully supports the most disadvantaged, with youth from Quintile 1 schools achieving higher retention rates.

“Based on these lessons, we are preparing to scale this fund to R1-billion to deliver 20 000 high-quality job placements through a public-private partnership approach,” she informed.

Mhlauli also mentioned that the NPMN Innovation Fund, led by the Department of Employment and Labour and administered by the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, is successfully unlocking rural pathways.

“Our partner spotlight, HPSA Southern Africa, has enrolled 1 800 young people in KwaZulu-Natal to deliver critical agricultural and animal health services. Already, 678 of these young people are actively generating income, recording R1.4-million in collective sales and proving how targeted innovation can build sustainable self-employment where formal jobs are scarce,” she averred.