How YES Aligns with G20 Priorities on Jobs, Growth and Innovation

South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency: Inclusive growth, industrialisation, jobs and equity

South Africa’s presidency has placed Task Force One: Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment and Reduced Inequality as a central focus. Among other areas, this task force addresses policy coherence across macroeconomic, labour market and social protection domains. See additional context in the High-Level Deliverables overview.

Labour and Employment Ministers have also adopted the Nelson Mandela Bay Youth Target, building on Antalya by committing to reduce the share of youth aged 15–29 not in employment, education or training by a further 5% by 2030. 

YES: A scalable, private sector-led solution to youth unemployment

YES is a public-private partnership, funded entirely by the private sector that connects unemployed youth to quality 12-month work experiences. These work experiences make youth 7x more employable post-programme, and create a generation of skilled leaders, confident to enter the workforce. Businesses that sponsor youth jobs can gain up to two levels on their B-BBEE scorecard, improve their ESG and EE strategies, and build a future-fit talent pipeline. YES has mobilised over 1,890 companies, created more than 198,000 work experiences and channelled over ZAR 11.6 billion into the economy through youth salaries. 

YES’s model aligns with G20 priorities on skills, entrepreneurship and inclusion. It places youth in growth sectors such as digital services, renewable energy, IT, global business services and creative industries, directly addressing the skills and jobs nexus that G20 members have highlighted.

Global recognition in the B20 recommendations to the G20

The Business 20 (B20) is the official engagement group of the G20 that brings together business leaders, multinationals, and industry associations to provide policy recommendations to G20 governments. Its task forces focus on areas such as employment, digitalisation, energy, and trade, and its final reports are presented directly to G20 leaders to shape decision-making from a business perspective.

Within this framework, YES has been profiled as a best-practice case study in the B20 Employment and Education Task Force’s final recommendations to the G20. Highlighted alongside Brazil’s SENAI São Paulo, YES is recognised as a scalable, private-sector-driven solution to youth unemployment that delivers measurable impact.

The B20 report emphasised that YES demonstrates how targeted incentives , can successfully align corporate resources with national development goals. This recognises YES as international model of best practice for addressing youth unemployment and skills mismatches. It elevates South Africa’s role in shaping global solutions and positions YES as an example that can inform policies and practices across other G20 member states.

Strategic alignment: YES and G20/B20 priorities

The priorities outlined by the G20 and B20 closely mirror the outcomes YES is already delivering in South Africa. By tackling unemployment at scale, supporting entrepreneurship, and preparing young people for growth industries, YES demonstrates how national innovation can directly advance global goals.

The alignment is clear across four key areas:

• Inclusive growth: YES enables businesses to provide first-work experiences that boost incomes and build careers, aligning with G20 commitments on inclusive growth and job creation.

• Industrialisation and skills: Youth placements in sunrise sectors develop capabilities that underpin industrial competitiveness and green and digital transitions.

• Entrepreneurship: A significant share of alumni start businesses, echoing the New Delhi emphasis on MSMEs and start-ups and the Start-up 20 engagement mechanism.

• Reduced inequality: Targeting young people who face systemic barriers helps close gaps in labour market access, consistent with South Africa’s Task Force One priorities.

Insights from recent G20 cycles

The outcomes of recent G20 summits reveal clear patterns in how global leaders are approaching youth employment. While each host nation has brought its own priorities, consistent themes have emerged around evidence-based policymaking, entrepreneurship, scalable delivery, and long-term targets.

Call to action for partners and policymakers

Addressing youth unemployment at scale requires more than national commitment. It demands global collaboration between governments, businesses, and development partners.

The G20 has laid out ambitious targets, but translating these into reality depends on practical, coordinated action. The following steps outline where partners and policymakers can make the greatest impact.

1. Scale public–private youth pathways: Replicate high-quality first-work experiences with clear skills standards and progression into permanent roles.
2. Align incentives: Use regulatory levers to catalyse private investment in youth employment, drawing on the YES model and B20 guidance.
3. Back entrepreneurship: Couple work experience with access to start-up support for youth-led MSMEs, in line with Start-up 20 and skills portability efforts.
4. Measure outcomes: Track NEET reduction, earnings, retention and enterprise creation to maintain accountability to G20 targets. YES’s comprehensive monitoring and evaluation function, which provides crucial data on youth during and post-programme, is a good example of this.

Youth employment has shifted from a peripheral issue on the global agenda to a defining challenge for sustainable growth, equity, and innovation. The G20’s evolving commitments reflect a growing recognition that the next generation must be at the centre of economic transformation. South Africa’s YES initiative embodies this vision, proving that with the right incentives and partnerships, businesses can generate impact at scale while building the workforce of the future.

As the G20 advances its goals under South Africa’s presidency, YES stands as both a blueprint and a catalyst, demonstrating how bold, collaborative action can unlock youth potential and drive inclusive economic growth worldwide.