2025 has been a year of remarkable impact for YES, our partners, and the youth we serve. As we reflect on the year, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners whose unwavering commitment continues to transform the lives of South Africans, opening pathways to meaningful work and skills development.
Together, we’ve achieved remarkable milestones, including 209,000 jobs to date and over R12 billion injected into the economy through YES Youth salaries. With your support, YES is the largest full-time, 12-month youth employment programme in South Africa. In this blog, we celebrate 2024’s successes and look forward to even greater achievements in 2025.
2025 in summary
YES marked a significant year with impactful events and initiatives, including the historic milestone celebration of placing over 209,000 youth into quality work experiences and the highly anticipated YES Top 35 Under 35 certificate ceremony, celebrating young leaders and entrepreneurs driving change in South Africa. These achievements, alongside continued collaborations with key partners, have strengthened YES’s mission of enhancing youth employability, building skills, and creating pathways to meaningful work across the country.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (Q3 2025) introduced new reporting standards aligned with the International Labour Organization (ILO), including updated categories for the labour force, potential labour force, and others outside the labour force. These changes mean some previous statistics, including the overall expanded youth unemployment rate, can no longer be directly calculated.
Under the new system, youth aged 15–34 now have an official unemployment rate (LU1) of 43.7%, with 15–24 at 69.3% and 25–34 at 48.2%, reflecting meaningful declines from last year. Despite progress, millions of young South Africans remain unemployed or discouraged. Initiatives like YES continue to make a tangible impact, providing salaries, skills, and quality work experiences that support families, build confidence, and open pathways to long-term employment and entrepreneurship.
Impact to date
- 209,000+ work experiences created
- 1,930+ corporate signups
- R12,3 bn+ deployed into the economy
- 57% of YES Youth are young women
- 45% of YES Alumni are employed
- 15% of YES Youth are engaged in entrepreneurial activity
- 75% of YES Youth come from grant-recipient households
- 79% of YES Youth have financial dependents
2025 highlights
YES 200,000 Jobs Milestone Celebration: YES hosted a historic milestone at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) on 04 December 2025, 200,000 youth placed into quality work experiences since inception. This achievement underscores the power of collaboration between business, government, and civil society in tackling South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. Read more here.
YES Top 35 Under 35 Celebration: YES hosted its second annual Top 35 Under 35 YES Alumni celebration in partnership with Daily Maverick on 27 November 2024. The event showcased how young leaders are unlocking their futures and multiplying their impact by transforming their YES experience into meaningful careers and innovative businesses.
Read more here.
YES ESG Awards 2025: On 15 October 2025, YES hosted our ESG Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre, in conjunction with the Sustainability and ESG Africa Conference (SEACon). We celebrated partners who have significantly contributed to the ‘S’ in ESG through youth job creation, economic progress, and social development.
Read more here.
Future of HR Conference: On 22-23 October 2025, YES participated in the 2025 Future of HR Conference for the second year in a row, returning as a key sponsor and exhibitor and reinforcing its role as a strategic partner in shaping inclusive and sustainable workforce solutions. Read more here TBC
YES Hosts EYWA Workshop on Access to Finance for Micro-SMMEs: The EYWA Project, co-financed by the European Union (DG INTPA) and led by the Chamber of Spain, is implemented in partnership with the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Lulalab Foundation, and Youth Employment Service (YES).
Read more here.
YES at the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference 2025: On 31 July and 1 August 2025, YES participated as a showcase sponsor and exhibitor at the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. This premier event brought together government leaders, industry experts, and changemakers to advance transformation and inclusive economic growth in South Africa.
Read more here.
German Delegation Visits YES Netcare Hub to Witness Youth Skills in Action: On 21 July 2025, YES welcomed a distinguished German delegation to the Netcare Ulusha Hub in Alexandra. This event reinforced our ties to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ). This international partnership aims to advance youth employment in South Africa’s green and digital sectors.
Read more here.
Microsoft and YES Host National AI Skilling Day to Empower South African Youth: In March 2025, YES and Microsoft entered into a partnership to unlock South Africa’s AI potential. This partnership, which aims to provide 50, 000 young South Africans with free Microsoft certification exam vouchers, came into action on 24 June at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, when Microsoft South Africa and YES hosted the National AI Skilling Day. The event forms part of the National AI Skills Initiative, aimed at preparing youth for the future of work through globally recognised digital certifications.
Read more here.
Microsoft partners with YES to offer 50,000 certifications to South Africa’s youth: An exciting new partnership between the Youth Employment Service (YES) and Microsoft South Africa will provide 50,000 young South Africans with free certification vouchers in high-demand IT skills over the next year. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to equip the next generation with critical AI, cybersecurity, and digital skills, ensuring they are ready for high-demand jobs in the global digital economy.
Read more here.
Media recognition
YES has received extensive media coverage across leading national and regional platforms. This includes prominent print and online publications such as Business Day, Sunday Times, Business Report, Cape Times, Channel Wise, Sunday Tribune, and Sandton Chronicle.
YES leadership and youth representatives also participated in broadcast interviews across major television and radio platforms, including CNBC Africa, eNCA, Newzroom Afrika, SABC, Radio 2000, 702 CapeTalk, and SAFM.
In addition, YES has shared impactful stories and thought leadership through influential digital platforms such as Bizcommunity, IOL, Good Things Guy, and Daily Maverick, further amplifying its voice on youth employment, skills development, and inclusive economic growth.
In case you missed it
Here’s a list of some of the pertinent pieces written in 2025:
Throughout 2025, YES leadership, partners, and stakeholders contributed to a range of impactful media engagements and thought leadership pieces focused on youth employment, skills development, and inclusive economic growth. Below is a curated selection of notable coverage and contributions.
YES Leadership: Thought Leadership and Media Engagements
YES CEO Ravi Naidoo, featured in the Sunday Times with a thought leadership article titled “The Digital Bridge: E-Commerce as a Career Pathway in South Africa.” Read more here.
YES CEO Ravi Naidoo, featured in IOL News with the opinion piece“Policy Change Can Turn Youth Unemployment into an Economic pportunity.” Read more here.
YES CEO Ravi Naidoo, interviewed on the Moneyweb podcast, discussing YES’ partnership with Microsoft to upskill youth in AI and technology. Read more here.
YES CEO Ravi Naidoo, featured on Stokvel Talk discussing the launch of YES’ national youth entrepreneurship initiative. Read more here.
Executive and Programme Leadership Voices
YES CPO Tsholo Mogotsi interviewed on Power FM on the urgent need for scalable youth employment solutions. Read more here.
YES Head of Programmes, Aditi Lachman featured in IOL on designing youth employment programmes that ensure women are not left behind. Read more here.
YES Head of Programmes, also featured in IOL sharing five practical tips for South African youth to thrive in the job market. Read more here.
Government and Public Sector Recognition
President Cyril Ramaphosa, referencing YES during a visit to the BMW Plant, as reported in Business Report. Read more here.
The Presidency, recognising YES as a national success story of effective public–private partnership. Read more here.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube, in partnership with Diageo, the University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism & Hospitality, and YES, featured on building sustainable pathways to employment. Read more here.
Corporate Partnerships and Industry Recognition
Nedbank, renewing its commitment to YES and South Africa’s youth workforce. Read more here.
ByDesign Communications, YES’ PR agency partner, awarded the 2025 SABRA Award for a Community Research Campaign delivered in partnership with YES. Read more here.
Blogs
YES recognised on the global stage in B20 Recommendations to the G20
How YES Aligns with G20 Priorities on Jobs, Growth and Innovation
New Employment Equity Targets Set to Reshape SA Business Landscape
3 ways YES can help you with your ESG reporting and SDG strategies
YES Webinar: Why investing in youth is key to your business success
YES Top 35 Under 35 Returns with Daily Maverick!
Recognising youth excellence: the YES Top 35 Under 35 competition
Navigating the latest B-BBEE Sector Codes with YES
Unlocking opportunities in the transport sector: The role of YES
Webinars
Building A Sustainable Workforce: The Business Case For YES
Watch Now: HAE Africa x YES Webinar "Funding Impact"
#FuturesUnlocked #ImpactMultiplied
As we close out 2025, we do so with confidence, momentum, and a shared sense of purpose. Through continued collaboration with our partners, YES is well positioned to create tens of thousands more youth work opportunities in the year ahead; unlocking futures and multiplying impact at scale.
Thank you for your continued investment in South Africa’s youth. Your commitment plays a vital role in transforming lives, strengthening communities, and co-creating a more inclusive economy. Together, we are empowering a generation to become architects of their own success and active contributors to our country’s growth. We wish you a safe and joyful festive season and look forward to building even greater impact with you in the year to come.
Amendment to the Gazette