Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has implored businesses in South Africa to give young people working through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) programmes their next opportunity.
The president noted that 200,000 young people will start new jobs at 20,000 schools across the country this week, giving them a foot in the door for much-needed work experience.
The jobs are the flagship programme of the PES, which was introduced in 2020 as part of government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic has been over for a long time, the country has continued to face an insurmountable unemployment crisis, particularly amongh the youth.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) from Stats SA shows that the country’s official unemployment rate has increased to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, with 8.2 million people out of work.
Youth unemployment for those aged 15 to 34 sits at 46.1%.
According to the presidency, the PES has created over 2 million “employment opportunities” since 2020 to help young people find jobs, with the latest wave of 200,000 now taking place.
The presidency’s PES dashboard shows that over R45 billion has been allocated to the programme between 2020 and December 2024, with most positions in the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Through the programme, implemented across the country by the DBE and funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund, thousands of young people will work at schools, supporting staff and gaining experience.
“This programme is designed to develop the work skills that employers say they need, such as time management, task management, teamwork, problem solving, IT, admin and much more,” Ramaphosa said.
Graduates will be prioritised for work in the classroom, supporting teachers.
Where qualified to do so, they will provide support in key subjects like maths, science, technology, literacy, and others. Other placements will support IT and school administration.
Some placements will tackle essential maintenance, such as fixing doors, painting peeling walls, maintaining school vegetable gardens and playgrounds.
Care and Support Assistants work with School Support Teams to identify and support children at risk.
“Together, these roles provide real work experience to young people and vital support to our education system,” the president said.
A foot in the door
Notably, the placements through the programme are not permanent, and are intended to set participants up for future success.
The presidency dashboard shows that, despite 2 million employment opportunities being created, only a fraction—around 42,500—were retained between 2020 and 2024.
Many will re-enter the job market and will face the same challenges as millions of others in trying to find work in a highly competitive space.
However, the president said the programme will give them a significant advantage.
“These young people will leave the school environment having shown up, contributed and made a difference,” he said.
“They will have worked in high-pressure environments with limited resources and will understand deadlines and responsibility.”
The aim is also to reach those who want to be entrepreneurs, with the state looking for ways to support those who want to create their own jobs and local value, to connect them to finance, training, markets and networks.
According to Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI)—implemented through the PES—has shown additional success in the first quarter of 2025.
She noted that, by the end of March 2025 more than 76,500 earning opportunities were accessed by young people.
Over 5,400 young people had been enrolled, and more than 3,000 had been placed into quality jobs.
Ramaphosa called on employers in the country to give the youth who made their way through the programme their next opportunity.
“Mentor their enthusiasm, and help take their potential to the next level,” he said.
Source: businesstech
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