Gen Z is feeling good about their career prospects, according to FlexJobs’ new Generations at Work Report. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Gen Z are more optimistic about their career prospects now than they were last year, compared to 43% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Xers. On the flip side, 39% of Gen Xers, one-third of Millennials, and 14% of Gen Z are more pessimistic now.
These attitudes are likely due to perceptions of the job market. Gen Z is more likely to believe that the job market is better for job seekers now than it was a year ago, while Millennials and Gen Xers are more likely to believe it’s worse. Still, Millennials (61%) and Gen Xers (57%) are more likely than Gen Z (32%) to say they plan to change jobs in the next year.
Other key findings:
- Younger workers are less interested in full-time remote roles than older workers.
- Salary, remote work, work-life boundaries, and having a flexible schedule are the top four most important factors in a job, but the order of the rankings varies by generation.
- Both Millennials and Gen Xers say excessive workload is their top workplace stressor. For Gen Z, it’s unrealistic expectations from the boss.
- Gen Z is the most likely generation to say too much of their personal identity is tied to their job. They’re also most likely to check work communications (email, Slack, etc.) during non-work hours.
