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 appeal to businesses and other public sector organizations to make use of SAYouth.mobi to expand the number of opportunities for young people to earn money and learn. "To hire young people, the private sector must utilize all available mechanisms, including the Employee Tax Incentive," Ramaphosa stated. "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". With a 32.9% unemployment rate, South Africa currently has one of the highest rates in the world. The percentage rises to 41.

9% when the more inclusive "expanded" definition includes discouraged job seekers. 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. We need a strategy that includes investing in education and skill development, encouraging youth entrepreneurship, and implementing targeted employment programs geared toward young people in order to overcome this obstacle," He added that since its launch in 2020, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has created more than two million jobs and livelihood opportunities. "The Presidential Employment Stimulus has provided more than two million jobs and livelihood opportunities since it began in 2020.

72% of the people who have taken part in the program thus far are young people, and 66% of them are women," he stated.