What makes Gen Z tick at work

With today's 18- to 29-year-olds, Generation Z has arrived in the Swiss working world and will help shape our working environment in the coming years. A striking characteristic of young professionals is their lack of commitment: In German-speaking Switzerland, 72 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are open to changing jobs, and only about half can imagine staying with their current company for more than two years. And this is despite the fact that the clear majority (79 percent) are satisfied with their current job. With increasing age, the proportion of those willing to change jobs falls (from 72 percent to 44 percent), although satisfaction with the current job is only slightly higher than among Generation Z (85 percent vs. 79 percent). These are the findings of a new generation analysis by recruiting specialist onlyfy by XING, which is based on a representative online survey conducted by the market research institute forsa among a total of 1,007 employed people aged 18 and over in German-speaking Switzerland - including almost 200 respondents aged 18 to 29 (Generation Z).

Generation Z also enjoys their work somewhat less than older generations. While 66 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say they enjoy their job, the figure is higher for older age groups, reaching 83 percent for those over 50.

I have to go: Gen Z rarely sees long-term prospects in the job

The desire for something new at work is pronounced among Generation Z professionals. 72 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are either open to a new job or are already planning a change. The willingness to change is at the same level among 30- to 39-year-olds (73 percent), but decreases significantly from the age of 40.

Just under one in four Generation Z employees (23 percent) cannot imagine working for their current employer for more than another year. Just as many (23 percent) would hold out for another one to two years at the most. This means that the career planning horizon in Generation Z is significantly shorter than in the other age groups. Only four percent of 18- to 29-year-olds could imagine staying with their current employer until retirement.

"Gen Z is characterized by a high willingness to change and a desire for new things. Loyalty is taking a back seat as a value; at their current job, they see themselves more as a temporary guest," says Frank Hassler, CEO of New Work SE, which includes the onlyfy by XING brand. "For companies, this non-commitment is a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it makes it easier to make a change palatable to potential candidates. On the other hand, as a company you have to make more of an effort to retain young employees," Hassler continues.

Too little pay, bad bosses and a desire for variety make young people move on

Above all, too little pay (41 percent), dissatisfaction with the direct manager (32 percent), a general desire for variety (31 percent) and a high stress level (29 percent) make Gen Z employees flirt with a new job. These are also the main deciding factors among older employees.

When looking for a new employer, German-speaking Swiss professionals under 30 pay particular attention to good team spirit among colleagues (56 percent). This is followed by a higher salary (54 percent), flexible working hours (43 percent) and good management (43 percent) as well as a good corporate culture (38 percent). These are factors that older employees pay equal attention to when looking for a job, and sometimes even somewhat more frequently than Generation Z. At 32 percent, however, members of Gen Z tend to place more value than older employees on the employer's commitment to the psychological well-being of employees.

"Besides the salary, it is above all the environment that is decisive for the youngest generation in the labor market. What is the culture in the company? What kind of understanding of leadership is practiced and what flexibility am I given in terms of working hours?" says Frank Hassler. "Generation Z wants employers who care about the well-being of their employees," Hassler continues.

Meaningfulness and sustainability not typical Gen Z issues

"Generation Purpose" - that's how generations Z and Y have already been summarized. According to the current evaluation, however, the desire for meaning fulfillment in the job is not a characteristic of the younger generation. While for 33 percent of Generation Z, fulfillment of meaning in the job is an important criterion for selecting an employer, this figure is even higher in the other age groups (30-39 years: 43 percent, 40-49 years: 59 percent, 50+ years: 56 percent). Sustainable action by the employer is almost equally important to professionals in all four age groups (18-29 years: 16 percent, 30-30 years: 16 percent, 40-49 years: 20 percent, 50+ years: 18 percent).

Source: New Work SE