Gen Z want to work in tech, and from an office
According to LinkedIn’s global research.
Why You Should Care
Gen Z don't want to work fully remote, according to research by LinkedIn.
They want in-office experiences to build relationships with their colleagues and better separate work from their personal lives.
Learn about what types of jobs Gen Z are looking for.
The current and future of work is the top of mind for global businesses. Employers are trying to work out how to balance employee preferences on working location with business need.
Hybrid working – where employees split their time between the office and remote locations – seems to be the dominant model for knowledge sectors, but fully remote work is growing in popularity, according to Flexa Careers.
But one demographic that is not keen on fully remote work is Gen Z (18 to 24-year-olds). A LinkedIn survey of 4,000 US, UK, French, and German young workers found that 70% want access to an office.
Gen Z’s preference for office-based work (either full-time or part of the week) was linked to their desire to separate their work and home lives (30%). 24% of Gen Z said they do more productive work in the office, and 23% said that the office provides opportunities to build closer relationships with colleagues.
Closer relationships help younger workers to get access to valuable in-person training and mentorship from their colleagues, something they missed out on during remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compared to other generations, Gen Z were (are/is?) making the fewest applications to fully remote roles on LinkedIn.
Talking about how employers must respond to these findings, LinkedIn co-founder and vice-president of product management Allen Blue commented: “Gen Z will soon make up 30% of the global workforce and employers must keep their newest recruits front of mind and create working environments where they can thrive.
“It’s clear that Gen Z want flexibility but LinkedIn’s data shows that doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to be fully remote.
“Offering flexibility isn’t just critical in terms of attracting and retaining Gen Z talent, but it also represents a huge opportunity to make workplaces fairer, more inclusive and equitable.
“That means recognizing the realities of people’s personal situations, including that they may not have an ideal set-up to work from home full-time”.
What sectors do Gen Z want to work in?
The 2020s so far have been a challenging time for everyone, but particularly those early in their career. But now LinkedIn data shows that those at the start of the career in Germany and France are being hired at a faster rate than the rest of the labor market.
It seems that Gen Z is benefiting from the continuing digitalization of the economy; the IT and tech sectors are driving career opportunities for younger people. In the UK, France, and Germany, IT Services and Consulting were the top industries hiring career starters. In the US, technology and IT Services came in at number one.
Coming in second in the US and France was real estate – maybe hit Netflix show Selling Sunset has some role to play in this – while technology and information was the second top job in the UK and Germany.
The top job for the US, UK, and Germany was software engineer, while salesperson came in first for French Gen Z job seekers. Real estate agent was second in the US and France, while project manager was number two in Germany, and admin assistant was popular in the UK.
Gen Z are ready and waiting to disrupt tech companies and real estate organizations; employers, are you ready?
The world’s HR conference and expo is back! Don’t miss out on UNLEASH World in Paris this October.
