The Presidential Employment Stimulus was established in October 2020 in response to the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and two years leater, it has reached the million-participant milestone.

In it’s Febraury 2023 report, the Presidential Employment Stimulus recognises the interventions, many departments and public bodies that have supported the plan of action, including SA Youth, the zero-rated digital platform run by Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.

The Presidential Employment Stimulus is of course about more than the numbers – it’s also about providing work experience in a labour market in which, for many young people in particular, that is hard. It’s about creating real social value; about economic and social inclusion and about unlocking agency at community level. It’s also about incomes spent in local economies, providing much-needed support to the informal sector and small enterprise – and trickling up into the wider economy from there.

Just last week, 150,000 young people started work at over 22,000 schools, as part of the next cohort of the Basic Education Employment Initiative – reaching every community in the country, in what is, in fact, the single largest youth employment programme in our history. It provides a high quality work experience for participants – while making a difference in schools. Over 1,5 million young people applied for these jobs.

This is of course just one of the many programmes making a difference – read more about this programme and others below:

Source: The Presidential Employment Stimulus Report: Building a society that works. A million jobs, opportunities and more. Published February 2023. Publication issued by The Presidency, South Africa. For more information see https://www.stateofthenation.gov.za/employment-stimulusdashboard