Youth Month reminds us of a pressing reality: South Africa cannot afford to treat youth employment as merely an outcome of community development projects. With youth unemployment at 45.8% and more than 4.7 million young people out of work, every project funded in our communities should be judged not only by its social outcomes but also by how many jobs it creates for young people through project delivery.
The community and social services sector already employs 19.9% of young people with formal, salaried jobs. That translates to roughly 1.11 million young South Africans currently employed in formal payroll positions. Within this, civil society organisations and social enterprises may be contributing between 250 000 and 280 000 jobs, proof that the sector is already making a significant contribution. The question is whether we can do more.
Investment in community development in South Africa is substantial. According to the Trialogue CSI Report, total CSI expenditure in 2025 was estimated at R13.1 billion, with education remaining the largest area of support at 44% of total spend. The report is based only on surveyed companies. When international and institutional funders are also considered, the level of investment in community development is even greater.
The problem is ensuring that community development projects are intentionally designed not only to improve social outcomes but also to address youth unemployment by creating work opportunities for young people through the delivery of projects.
Too often, funding proposals are judged harshly when staff costs appear too high. This is understandable because funders want money to reach beneficiaries, not disappear into excessive overheads. However, projects need people to be executed. We therefore need to strike a balance. Community projects require people to coordinate, mobilise, support, monitor and sustain the work. Here lies an opportunity for the sector to expand its contribution to job creation, especially for young people.
This would require funders to consider implementation models in which a clearly defined portion of project funding creates temporary, structured work opportunities for young people linked directly to project delivery. With strong monitoring and evaluation, every rand can still be accounted for while the investment generates an additional layer of benefit for young people and intentionally contributes to addressing the national youth unemployment crisis.
Save the Children South Africa offers a useful example of what this can look like in practice. Its model includes employing young people as community change agents (CCAs) who support delivery at local level while earning an income and building experience. That kind of approach matters. In the last financial year alone, 58 young people were employed at the minimum wage to implement projects across early childhood development (ECD), health and youth skills development programmes.
It treats youth employment not as a separate programme running alongside development work but as something embedded in every project delivery cycle. The effect of these temporary, and sometimes long-term, job opportunities depends on funding partners and extends beyond the individual young person, helping many support their families and households.
“Before I joined as a Community Change Agent, I had been unemployed for two years,” says Tshwarelo, 23. “Now I not only earn an income but I’ve gained skills that make me believe I can build a future. It’s more than a job; it’s hope for a successful life.”
This approach treats youth employment not as a separate programme but as something embedded in every project delivery cycle. The benefit extends beyond the individual, helping young people support their families and households.
Importantly, this vision aligns with South Africa’s national development plan (NDP), which identifies youth employment as a cornerstone of inclusive growth. It also resonates with the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, which calls for innovative models to absorb young people into meaningful work. By embedding jobs into community projects, funders and corporates can demonstrate alignment with national priorities while delivering measurable results.
For corporates, the incentive is clear. Embedding youth employment strengthens broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) performance, improves corporate reputation, deepens trust with communities and shows that investment is not only philanthropic but also strategic.
Looking ahead, imagine a South Africa where every community project, from early childhood centres to health initiatives, includes structured youth jobs as part of its design. Instead of 4.7 million unemployed young people, we would see thousands gaining experience, earning income and building pathways into permanent employment.
As Youth Month concludes, funders and corporates must ask one simple but important question of every project proposal and partnership: How many young people will it employ, over and above sustaining existing jobs?
Embedding youth jobs into community development is not just good for society. It strengthens broad-based BEE performance, helps build a stronger future talent pipeline, improves a company’s reputation, deepens trust with communities and demonstrates that corporate investment can go the extra mile in addressing South Africa’s development priorities. In this way, youth employment becomes a standard feature of community project design.
German More is the director of New Business Development and Communications at Save the Children South Africa. He holds an MBA (JBS) and communications graduate (Unisa), drives partnerships and fundraising expertise to embed youth employment into impactful community projects, advancing children’s rights and sustainable development outcomes.