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Creating Young Leaders Together

What Recruiters and Managers Need to Know about Gen Z

Get Ready for Generation Z at your Workplace

Right now, Generation Z - born between 1996 and early 2000's - is taking the workforce by storm, and are about to surpass Millennials. Gen Z has an entirely unique perspective on career and they will soon be your coworkers – is your business ready for it?

How different Gen Z is? 

Although salary is a significant factor when considering a job position, they value it less than any other generation. This means that your workforce will become more effective, as young people, nowadays, tend to choose exciting jobs rather than a job that may be better-paid, but boring. They are driven by the will to learn and improve, and they want to feel that their job is important. Once Generation Z finds a company that aligns with their values, they want to grow the company and grow within that company.
For instance, at AIESEC, we provide fresh graduates, educated in the field they are passionate about, ready to be hired and work a dedicated 37 hours a week, for the minimum salary of 12.500,00 DKK. Generation Z favors experience and innovation over salary, and are, therefore, a valuable asset to any business. 

Gen Z are a tech-savvy generation. As everything is becoming digitized, knowledge on modern technology is one of the key skills employers are looking for these days. Twenty-somethings, nowadays, are multitaskers and social media experts. They have a wide network online and can easily learn high-level programs required for job positions. 

On the other hand, Gen Zers are extremely reliant on technology to solve problems, as they have never lived in a world without phones and computers. They know little about life before social media.
Moreover, Generation Z is more demanding and has high workplace expectations, which means they can get frustrated at work easily. Naturally, the new generation lacks work experience, therefore, more investment in training and development is required.

All in all, Generation Z employees love working in a collaborative environment, they are loyal and crave leadership experiences. A comprehensive article on Connecteam.com provides an in-depth overview of Gen Z characteristics and statistics regarding their preferences at work.

What does all of this mean for recruiters and managers? 

To attract and retain young workers, companies need to offer more than just a competitive salary. Employee engagement must be ensured from day-one, and businesses need to be precise on what is expected at the workplace. 
Here are some of the ways to adapt the hiring process and your workspace to Gen Z employees:

  • HR and managers need to emphasize on career development. There should be a place for improvement within the job position offered - Gen Z candidates desire new skills and experiences;
  • Provide feedback. Performance reviews and job feedback are a necessity for young workers. They want to know they are making a difference and their tasks are important. Regular feedback will allow them to reach their goals faster and more effectively. This article on Forbes describes feedback importance to Gen Zers in depth;
  • Offer work-life balance. This study claims that Gen Z has the worst balance between personal life and work. 24% of Gen Zers say they feel guilty taking any time off work. Another 24% of Gen Z fret that taking all of their allotted vacation time would cause people to judge them at work. And if they do go on vacation, 47% claim that they feel under pressure to check email or voicemail constantly while they're on holiday. Thus, offering a good work-life balance at your workplace will help young employees to manage stress and be more productive [iii].

Since the new generation is different and will definitely shape the work environment in the near future, it is crucial for employers to understand the perspective of the youth.

Youth Unemployment Remains a Challenge

Every year, millions of young people, worldwide, start looking for a job to kick-start their career. According to the International Labor Organization the global youth unemployment rate reached 13.6% in 2019 (up from 13.1% in 2018)[i]. Besides preventing young people from gaining job experience, high unemployment rate is also negatively affecting social and economic development. Companies risk losing the talent and skills that fresh graduates offer. Moreover, youth unemployment prevents the businesses from increasing their productivity and competitiveness in the local and global markets.

One of the main goals at AIESEC Denmark is to connect our local business with young talents from around the world. Our organization has many years of experience with youth employability and offering talent solutions within IT, Marketing, Finance and Business Administration. In collaboration with companies, start-ups and NGOs, we strive for a better future of youth-inclusive work.

To contribute to a more youth-friendly labor market, partner with AIESEC and gain instant access to our network with over 2.5 million international candidates. Your company will be able to create a life changing job opportunity.

Let's create a youth-friendly labor market together

A decent job offer and position is an important step to independence and self-reliance for every young person. However, according to the European Youth Forum, young people are at a disadvantage in the labor market – they often experience age-based discrimination in terms of their access to quality work, fair wages, or welfare systems[ii].

In AIESEC, we believe that the youth is the key to unlocking a better future. We strive to connect them with the organizations that not only believe in, but live up to the same values as we do. Through internships and volunteering, we hope to provide value to our local community and partners.

If our organization sounds like something that could help your business in creating your future team of young leaders - get in touch with AIESEC Denmark. Boost your work culture by bringing in young talent from diverse backgrounds and make your company not just better performing but more attractive to the new workforce.

Contact us through arbejdsgiver.aiesec.dk to hear more about what a partnership with AIESEC Denmark can mean for your business. 


Sources

[i] https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_737648.pdf
[ii] https://www.youthforum.org/future-work-and-youth
[iii] https://www.businessinsider.com/study-gen-z-worst-work-life-balance-2019-11?r=US&IR=T


Written by
Ugne Blazyte