President Cyril Ramaphosa is appealing to private sector firms and public entities to use the SAYouth.mobi platform to publicise job opportunities for young people.
Established under the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) initiative, SAYouth.mobi connects young unemployed South Africans to jobs training and learning opportunities.
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says there are now over 4.7 million young people registered on the SAYouth platform and the Department of Employment and Labour’s employment services database.
Through these platforms, young people have been supported to access over 1.6 million earning opportunities, he reveals.
“The private sector needs to use all available mechanisms, including the Employee Tax Incentive, to hire young people.
“South Africa’s young people deserve to lead lives of dignity. Unemployment is robbing far too many youths of this right. As government and business, let us continue to work together and do all within our means to empower young people to find jobs and create their own opportunities.”
Ramaphosa’s comments come on the back of National Youth Day on 16 June, which is commemorated throughout the month of June. This year’s youth month is held under the theme: “Skills for the changing world – empowering youth for meaningful economic participation.”
South Africa’s unemployment data shows youth joblessness remains one of the country’s most pressing challenges. The extent and scale of youth unemployment continues to trend negatively.
Statistics SA indicates the youth unemployment rate increased from 44.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024, to 46.1% in the first quarter of 2025.
“To overcome this challenge, we need an approach that includes investing in education and skills development, fostering youth entrepreneurship and implementing targeted employment programmes focusing on young people,” Ramaphosa notes.
According to the president, the Presidential Employment Stimulus and the PYEI initiatives aim to provide opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young people at a time when not enough jobs are being created to absorb new entrants in the labour market.
“Last week in the City of Tshwane, I met with a number of young people who told me excitedly they had been approached by potential employers who had seen their profiles on SAYouth.mobi.
“I want to encourage young job-seekers to utilise this trusted recruitment platform at https://sayouth.mobi/. Registration is free and the app is zero-rated, meaning you can access the site and its contents without incurring any data charges.”
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