The future of work, and its potential demise, lies in the hands of Gen Z, it seems. Not a week goes by without a new sensational report lamenting the educational aspirations, well-being expectations or pitiful work ethic of people born post-millennium. In the U.K., the latest alarmist report flagged the generational resistance to working for less than £40,000, with government and business leaders decrying the perceived sense of entitlement it suggests.
Future Workforce vs Workforce Future?
In one sense, the economic concern it is giving rise to is valid. Social mobility is a major national issue in the U.K, with over 4.3 million, or 30% of young people experiencing poverty in 2024. Alongside people of colour and those living with disability, the impact of being out of work on our youth is profound, both in terms of the quality of life for individuals living with its impact, and the government institutions stepping in and supporting people in need.
Gen Z Workplace Attitudes
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
Yet, the tone surrounding the feared worklessness of the latest entrants to the workforce is less one of care than one of indignation. U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer, has suggested that the number of economically inactive young people is a “moral” issue and risks a wasted generation. Suggesting that being out of work is immoral, as opposed to the conditions that contribute to people’s ability to work and live, might be a more appropriate source of anxiety.
Being raised in the wake of the great recession and coming of age during the pandemic, the nature and availability of work have shifted beyond recognition for Gen Z. Older generations, for whom affordable education and stable employment were a given, were offered a clear exchange of value for their productivity. A career ladder and rising wages, plus affordable commodities and appreciating assets, were all promised for their contribution to the economy.
What Makes Employment Worthwhile for Gen Z?
For young people entering the workforce in the 2020s, society holds no such promise. With a school system hooked on academic achievement, extortionate higher education fees and employment opportunities necessitating both education and experience to access them, it’s no wonder over 1 million young people are classed as NEETS, With working class people lacking access to networks or able to afford to participate in unpaid internships too, the resultant waste of potential is profound.
Yet, no amount of personal motivation can overcome the political and economic structures at the root of the 0.5 million members of Gen Z reported to have never had a job. Yet, even if they could overcome the classism, racism and ableism that pervades employment culture globally, precluding certain groups from opportunities at the cost of immediate career prospects and long-term financial stability, why would they? Work no longer affords them the ability to live.
The cost of living means early career wages barely cover the essentials, and with high rents and unattainable deposits prohibiting young people from getting on the housing ladder, only the promise of career progression and future earnings might tempt young people to work. The promise of eventual stability, in a world of persistent political instability, the potential of war and the promise of climate breakdown, is understandably treated with suspicion.
Gen Z Employer Expectations
Expecting young people to work without the promise of future security, and at the cost of their current quality of life, is a deeply unattractive proposition. Is it any wonder that this generation prioritises work-life balance and refuses to work beyond their contracted hours? Why would they spend the little time they have commuting or checking emails out of hours when the time and energy they expend creating value for their employers isn’t reciprocated?
Gen Z Workplace Attitudes
Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash
It seems they’re not alone is their disquiet. Reports of time thieves and quiet quitting abound in HR spaces, suggesting young people aren’t the only generation questioning the worth of their work in the 21st century. If the successful functioning of the capitalist system depends on matching supply to demand, what’s clear is that what employers are supplying in the way of job opportunities is no longer in demand.
With western society’s backlash against immigration further reducing the availability of labour, Gen Z are the canaries in the coalmine when it comes to the pressure businesses and government are about to face when it comes to investing in, attracting and retaining talent. If the future of the economy relies on people’s labour to sustain production and consumption, shaming younger generations for being work shy simply isn’t going to cut it.
Gen Z: Labour Supply vs Employment Demand
First, governments and employers must tackle the root causes of the issue to attract young people into work. Affordable and alternative approaches to education, recognising the diversity of people’s talents, and employment based on potential, not privilege, are a start. Yet, understanding what young people really want and need is essential to ensure work is mutually beneficial for individuals, employers, and institutions alike.
Fortunately, the research on what’s needed is clear. While work that enables people to afford to live and offers opportunities for progression should be a given, it’s socially conscious, diversity-informed work and work that Gen Z enjoys that matters most. So, instead of the U.K. government’s current threats to cut benefits and push young people further into the poverty that they’re struggling to escape, it’s worth exploring how more worthwile work, in every sense of the word, might be enabled.
Gen Z, in refusing to accept work opportunities that add no value to both their own lives and society at large, might just change the employment landscape for us all.