Stereotypes, Reality Collide in iHire’s Gen Z in the Workforce Report

Employers see Gen Z as tech-savvy and socially conscious, but not hard-working or committed to their career. Gen Zers say they’re ready to work and have career aspirations, but worry that negative stereotypes are impacting their job prospects.

These are just some of the results from iHire’s Gen Z in the Workforce report. And they illustrate some of the challenges that need to be overcome as Gen Z starts to outnumber Baby Boomers in the workplace.

More than one-third (34.4%) of the nearly 1,100 Gen Zers surveyed said they were concerned that employers’ negative stereotypes would adversely impact their job search or career advancement in the coming year.

The data from the 252 employers suggest they might be right. Only 14.7% of employers said Gen Z is hard working, and only 13.5% said they’re committed to their career. Employers also see Gen Z as overly confident and lacking soft skills like communication and etiquette.

For their part, 69.3% of Gen Zers say they have a dream job they aspire to over the next 10 years, and one-quarter (25.6%) believe employers have unrealistic expectations for entry-level positions.

More key findings from the report:

• 70.3% of Gen Zers believe it’s important for their employer’s mission and values to align with their own, and 68% say the same about their company’s commitment to DEI.
• 33.2% of Gen Zers are concerned about the AI impacting their jobs.
• A large majority of Gen Zers say it’s very or extremely important for their ideal job to provide a positive work environment (82.4%), a fair and competitive salary (82.2%), and the flexibility to achieve a work/life balance (81.3%).
• More than 8 in 10 (82.4%) of Gen Zers want to work in person at least some of the time, with 55.8% wanting an entirely in-person work environment.

“Generation Z possesses unique perspectives and values shaped by growing up in the digital age and experiencing the pandemic during their formative years,” Steve Flook, iHire’s President and CEO, said in a press release. “As Gen Z permeates the workforce, employers need to understand how to recruit, retain, engage, and motivate this group. Likewise, Gen Z candidates must understand employers’ expectations and how to best market themselves to find the right jobs.”

For more information, read the full report.

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