How SA can leverage India’s playbook to co-create 1 million jobs through G20

IN NOVEMBER 2025, Johannesburg will host the G20 Summit — the world’s most influential gathering of political and business leaders — alongside the second Future of Jobs Summit™. This rare convergence of global attention and local action presents South Africa with a once-in-a-generation opportunity: to commit to and co-create one million new jobs by 2030.

- DR NIK EBERL

The idea is not unprecedented. When India hosted the G20 in 2023, they turned the moment into a national economic accelerator, creating over a million jobs in under two years through targeted industry investment, fast-tracked infrastructure, and SME empowerment.

South Africa can follow — and even surpass — this example if we act decisively, align our national priorities, and work in true partnership across business, government, and labour.

The Power of Co-Creation

Co-creation is not a slogan. It’s a disciplined process where all key stakeholders come together to solve challenges that none can fix alone. We've seen it work here before.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup united sectors to deliver the highest visitor satisfaction rating in tournament history and generated thousands of jobs.

The lesson is clear: big, complex goals require big, collective action.

From G20 to the Future of Jobs Summit

The Inaugural Future of Jobs Summit™ hosted in May this year proved that South Africa's job creation potential is real — but only when partnerships are deliberate and structured.

CEOs, policymakers, and labour leaders identified practical ways to generate large-scale employment, from turning township manufacturing hubs into export engines to harnessing AI for mass upskilling.

This year’s Future of Jobs Summit, taking place on 7 November 2025 in Johannesburg, will coincide with the G20 plenary summit held two weeks later, creating a powerful platform to announce, launch, and scale job creation projects to both a domestic and international audience.

Launching the Future Works Initiative™

At the heart of the 2025 Future of Jobs Summit™ will be the launch of the Future Works Initiative — a national platform designed to turn commitments into collaborative, measurable projects.

The initiative will: