Gen Zs are taking work by storm—with increased demands and heightened expectations. They also have tremendous job mobility and majorities of them say they are likely to quit or hop to new jobs for all kinds of reasons.
A recent Bankrate survey of 2,417 US adults found that Gen Z was more likely to report quitting a job and getting a new job in the last year than any other generation.
August 11, 2023. by The LanguageLine Solutions Team
Gen Z Americans – who were born between 1997 and 2012 – will be the last generation with a white majority and will give way to a post-2012 “majority minority” generation Alpha, according to a new study of updated US census data.
While the survey indicates that three out of four managers find Gen Z to be the most challenging to work with, Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at ResumeBuilder, suggests that the challenges managers face with this generation may be attributed more to their companies' lack of preparedness.
Gen Z is quiet quitting because we've seen millennials suffer through economic hardship. Companies can't sell us a pipe dream. Gabrielle Judge spent more than a year and a half quiet quitting her software job. Judge says she felt as if there was little upward momentum in her career before she finally quit.
Why QUIET QUITTING is the BEST THING GEN Z ever Did
Is Gen Z struggling?
A little more than a third of Gen Z rated their mental health and emotional wellbeing as “poor” or “only fair.” And while people in all generations are experiencing declining mental health, Gen Z is fairing worse than older generations—according to separate surveys of older adults conducted by Gallup.
Gen Z is generally defined as the generation born between 1996 and 2012, and in terms of finances, they are not doing so great. A new survey from WalletHub found that Gen Z is the least financially confident generation, with more than 1 in 4 saying they are not confident about their knowledge and skills.
However, Gen Z has certain weaknesses. They have a rather indifferent attitude towards security and prioritize convenience over security . They also experience a low perceived behavioral control and lack education on how to behave securely online .
They are constantly connected, always on the go, and extremely tech-savvy. As a result, Gen Z is often lauded for being entrepreneurial, innovative, and open-minded. It's important to recognize the strengths of Gen Z because this generation is quickly becoming the largest demographic in the workforce.
Generation X. Some believe Generation X will be regarded as the greatest generation of all time - we think it's certainly the coolest. Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980, arriving just in time to see the world turn from black & white to colour.
Roughly one quarter (23%) of Gen Z don't expect to ever be able to retire, according to a recent McKinsey & Company study. This belief stems from a variety of factors, but a major reason is the current job market.
Indeed, according to the Pew Research Center, in spite of the diminished flow of immigrants to the United States following the Great Recession, Generation Z is the most ethnically diverse yet seen. 52% of this generation is white.
In general, Gen Z hasn't had the opportunity to gain the skills to address their reactions to stress. As a result, their focus and engagement diminish, which leads to burnout. Burnout, however, isn't the useful point. It's the lack of skills.
Perhaps because chatter about quiet quitting took off on TikTok, it is often associated with Gen-Z—people born after 1996. But doing as little as possible at work is scarcely new (it may sound familiar to “work-to-rule” popularised by trade unions in the 20th century). And it's not confined to the youngest workers.
Baby boomers have the highest household net worth of any US generation. Defined by the Federal Reserve as being born between 1946 and 1964 (currently in the ages between 59 and 77), baby boomers are in often in the sunset of their career or early into retirement.
In a focus group held in September, Gen Zers between 18 and 26 spoke about what their future families might look like — if they choose to have them at all. Only two said they were set on having children. The rest, including Roberts, were largely ambivalent, saying they were undecided.
In a 2022 report, the U.S. Census designates Generation Z as "the youngest generation with adult members (born 1997 to 2013)." Statistics Canada used 1997 to 2012, citing Pew Research Center, in a 2022 publication analyzing their 2021 census.
When asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10, Gen Z moms feel they're doing better compared to Millennials in areas such as: Focusing on their children's emotional health. Teaching children to be accepting of all. Allowing them to explore their identities.
Gen-Z feels substantial anxiety and stress about jobs, long-term financial stability and major life steps, such as buying a home and starting a family. The current economy and job market are primary sources of uncertainty for this generation, according to EY's 2023 Gen-Z Segmentation Study.
Like millennials, Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), are more likely to prioritize eating healthy and getting regular exercise, however, they also prioritize their mental health and managing stress.
Gen-Z cares about following their passions, caring for the earth and demanding social and environmental justice from high-level decision-makers. As a result, they're more vocal, values-driven and individualized than generations that came before them.
Born between 1997 and 2012, the 68 million members of Gen Z who make up 20.6 per cent of the US population are quietly shaping a new paradigm in generational giving. Gen Z is already proving to be one of the most generous generations, when measuring total annual giving as a percentage of disposable income.
One hypothesis is that Generation Z may be more socially cautious and shy than previous generations, as they interact with others more often online, however, this idea has not been systematically tested in psychological science.
Generation Z has come to age in an era of unprecedented technological advancement and societal transformations. Shaped by smart devices, social media and digital connectivity, Gen Z are highly adept at multitasking and navigating digital nuances.
