Youth employment programme records strong first-quarter gains
PYEI says placements are an important route for young people seeking to build work experience and improve their chances of future employment.
The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) reported notable gains in the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, with 139,693 employment opportunities secured for young people between April and June 2026. Deputy Minister Nonceba Mhlauli highlighted the programme's momentum, which includes training, work opportunities, paid community service, and support for entrepreneurship.
The SA Youth platform, a key component, registered over six million young people, while ESSA, another platform, recorded nearly five and a half million registrations. Since its inception, PYEI has facilitated over 2.6 million earning opportunities through SA Youth and 386,733 through ESSA. Young women received nearly 70% of the opportunities on SA Youth.
The Youth Employment Service (YES) placed 5,244 young people in workplace experience roles, bringing the total PYEI placements to 233,393. The Revitalised National Youth Service aims to recruit 100,000 young people, already placing 140,922 since its launch. The National Youth Development Agency provided 5,214 enterprise support opportunities, with 4,795 non-financial and 419 financial.
The PYEI's Innovation Fund supported projects, such as Umuzi, which enrolled 3,404 young people and secured 4,373 gig-economy roles, and Property Point, which connected 440 young people to 249 property deals. The report indicates these achievements mark a solid foundation for future growth and scaling of successful initiatives.
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