Ramaphosa calls for more jobs for young people

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on business, labour and government to work together to expand economic opportunities for young people .

Ramaphosa was speaking at the South African National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment in Sandton on Thursday morning.

He says young people cannot continue to be excluded from the economy, particularly as they are among those most affected by unemployment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote address at the SA National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment this morning. #MorningLive #SABCNews https://t.co/jDKLSUoeEX — SABCNews_MorningLive (@MorningLiveSABC) October 22, 2026 The country’s youth unemployment rate rose to 62.8% in the second quarter of 2026, from 60.9% in the first quarter.

The event is hosted by Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator in partnership with the Presidency, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), the departments of Employment and Labour and Higher Education and Training, and the Youth Employment Service (YES).

Ramaphosa says all sectors must ensure young people have access to economic opportunities.

“These are the lives, the hopes, and the aspirations of our young people, and we cannot be content, all of us sitting here, with a society in which so many young people stand outside the gates of economic opportunity, looking in from the outside.

We must open those gates.” VIDEO | President Ramaphosa addresses the SA National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment