The young are wise beyond their years. We need to embrace their foresight

The young never cease to amaze me! For some reason or another, I’ve found myself with a bit of a niche when it comes to my LinkedIn articles. I’ve been keeping an eye on shifting working habits, Gen Z trends, and what we can learn from them via TikTok, of all things.

Admittedly, glancing at some of my pieces, you’d think I had a pretty bleak outlook on the next generations. For any of my Gen Z staff reading – relax! This isn’t the case at all. In fact, I’m blown away by some of the recent developments I’ve seen. Again, I’m dumbfounded by them.

For instance, do you know who’s leading the return to the office in Britain? It’s not the baby boomers desperate for in-person morning meetings. It’s young Londoners. Despite having a reputation of being “shirkers”, Gen Z Londoners aged 18 to 24 are in the office 3.1 days a week at the moment. For those aged 35 to 44, its 2.5 days, while older workers average about 2.7.

Many of the assumptions we have about the young may be wrong. In many ways, they seem to have matured remarkably quickly. Maybe their realities demand it. But nevertheless, they’ve gone from dance routines, to crafting within a few short years.

As the Telegraph put it (I would never), Gen Z are turning into “old codgers”. They’ve embraced crocheting in ways their grandparents would never have dreamed of. Tom Daley was spotted knitting the French flag at the Olympics. There are about 12 million videos tagged “grandma hobbies” on TikTok.

This preference for tempered, arguably sensible hobbies extends beyond their downtime by the looks of things. The young are focused on their future, and they’re taking steps to secure their financial freedom. According to UHY Hacker Young, Gen Z are rushing to invest in buy-to-let property.

Currently, there are over 3,000 landlords in the UK under the age of 21. Collectively, they earnt ￡66m in rental income in 2022/23.

They’re wise beyond their years. Something our own research also highlights. For our most recent piece of independent research, we surveyed homebuyers and homeowners on their preferences, and views on the current market.

For respondents aged between 18 and 24, 72% said they felt that building more homes should be a top priority for our new Labour government. Some 62% believe the passing of the general election will bring more stability to the property market. For 63%, the prospect of falling interest rates over the coming year influenced their decision to buy a property.

Practical, knowledgeable thinking with foresight and maturity. We underestimate the young at our own peril. Commentators in the press and beyond dread them coming of age and gaining influence. I say bring it on!

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