President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on private companies to make better use of available tools like SAYouth.mobi
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on private sector to make better use of available tools like SAYouth.mobi and the Employee Tax Incentive to help tackle South Africa’s high youth unemployment rate.
In his weekly newsletter earlier this week Ramaphosa said that while government programmes have created millions of opportunities for young people, far more needs to be done and the private sector must play a bigger role.
"I call on business and other public sector entities to use SAYouth.mobi to provide more pathways for young people to earning and learning. The private sector needs to use all available mechanisms, including the Employee Tax Incentive, to hire young people," Ramaphosa said.
"A vital part of our efforts to empower young people is the SAYouth.mobi platform, which is a single point for unemployed young South Africans to access opportunities for work, training and learning".
South Africa currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, sitting at 32.9%. When using the broader “expanded” definition which includes discouraged job seekers the figure rises to 41.9%.
According to Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate among young people rose from 44.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 46.1% in the first quarter of 2025.
"Like many parts of the world, our country is grappling with high youth unemployment. 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,"
He added that since its launch in 2020, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has created more than two million jobs and livelihood opportunities.
"Since it began in 2020, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has provided more than two million jobs and livelihood opportunities. Of the participants in the programme to date, 72% are young people and 66% are women," he said.