The next wave of talent entering your candidate pools isn’t choosing between stability and flexibility. They’re demanding both.
Recent findings from Randstad Digital reveal that one in four Gen Z workers in the tech sector now expects their primary employment to exist alongside supplemental income streams. In addition, over one-third of Gen Z workers currently in traditional roles are actively planning their exit to blended income models.
Rather than rejecting commitment, younger workers are redefining what commitment looks like in an economy where single-income security feels increasingly fragile. For staffing firms, this means your “full-time available” filters may be screening out candidates who could deliver exceptional performance within structured parameters.
What is Gen Z looking for in a job?
Nearly half of Gen Z workers prioritize flexible scheduling, 45% lead with compensation, and 41% require location flexibility. What’s conspicuously absent? Only 1% cite “pursuing passions” as a decision factor. This generation has been painted as idealistic, but the data proves they’re pragmatic about financial security.
Gen Z’s early career also doesn’t seem to have staying power. Half of Gen Z workers have voluntarily left a position within 12 months. The primary drivers? Toxic culture (41%), inadequate compensation (36%), stalled career progression (19%), and inflexibility (11%).
Only one-quarter of Gen Z workers expect to remain with their current employer for three to five years. Just 3% envision staying beyond a decade, significantly lower than millennials (10%) and Gen X (11%). However, when Gen Z workers leave, it’s often in pursuit of clear advancement paths, better compensation, and arrangements that acknowledge the economic realities they’re navigating.
How does Gen Z feel about AI?
Three-quarters of Gen Z tech workers express enthusiasm about workplace AI, and 76% already use it for problem-solving. Yet 43% simultaneously worry about its impact on their job security, a tension staffing firms must address directly rather than ignore.
Rather than simply deploying AI tools, firms that lead will be those that transparently communicate how AI augments rather than replaces human capabilities, particularly in entry-level positions where anxiety runs highest. With 61% of Gen Z workers reporting AI training from their employers in the past year, the talent you’re competing for increasingly expects upskilling investment as standard, not a perk.
What’s next for staffing agencies?
- Consider developing specialized placement tracks for candidates seeking project-based work, contract-to-hire arrangements that acknowledge their portfolio approach, or transparent scheduling systems that accommodate side commitments without sacrificing accountability.
- Pay competitively, create visible advancement paths, and maintain genuine flexibility. Expensive office redesigns, elaborate benefits packages, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, while potentially valuable, aren’t moving the needle on retention for this cohort.
- Build the infrastructure that makes your firm the obvious choice for Gen Z workers who understand that multiple income streams and career progression aren’t mutually exclusive — they’re increasingly interdependent.
