Several techniques have been used to tackle the PAPR problem in Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM) systems. The Selective mapping (SLM) remains the most used alone or in combination with optimization algorithms in order to find optimal phase factors. Unfortunately, the complexity of implementation and the use of many control parameters are the main drawbacks of these techniques. This paper proposes an enhanced SLM technique to further improve the PAPR reduction in the GFDM system without increasing the system complexity. The proposed technique, i.e., JAYA-SLM, combines the JAYA algorithm with the SLM scheme. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed JAYA-SLM technique is highly efficient in PAPR reduction without increasing the system complexity, wherein fewer used parameters. Also, it improves the system’s power saving and the Bit-Error-Rate (BER) performance when compared to others existing methods.