Niche Recruitment

Posted by Niche Recruitment
31st August 2023

What Gen-Z Want: An Employer’s Guide

• Client

The future is here, Gen-Z are entering the workplace and are set to make up 27% of the world’s workforce by 2025. Like the generations before, the group are bringing their own set of expectations with them. Employers must adapt to attract and retain fresh talent, but what exactly is Gen-Z looking for in a job description?

Here at Niche, we’ve placed 50% of our registered Gen-Z candidates. We’re not saying we have all the answers, but we do know a thing or two about what Gen-Z want from their employers and want to share our insight with you!

Hybrid Work

According to Deloitte’s 2023 research, 77% of UK Gen-Zs would consider looking for a new job if their employer asked them to go into the workplace full-time. Hybrid work is no longer a novelty perk for the select few, according to National statistics, 44% of UK workers reported working from home in 2023, with 16% of employees working on a fully remote basis.

The truth is, that hybrid working has become the new normal post-pandemic. According to a 2022 survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 78% of respondents’ organisations allow hybrid working. Despite a push by employers to call staff back to the office, employees continue to seek flexible working.

Fair Pay

Feeling the pinch, the cost-of-living crisis remains UK-based Gen-Z’s top concern for the second year running according to Deloitte research. In fact, 48% of the younger generation reported living ‘pay-day to pay-day and worry that their monthly income will not be able to cover all expenses.

Gen-Z are willing to work hard, but they expect some give and take from their employer. In a recent Pareto LinkedIn poll, 38% of the younger respondents placed ‘fair pay’ as the most important contribution an employer can provide.

Company Culture

It’s no surprise that a generation who have spent arguably some of the most carefree and exciting years of their lives in lockdown, want to enjoy their time at work. However, this isn’t a priority reserved for the younger job seekers alone, 2022 research revealed that 45% of UK employees and business leaders rank ‘a great culture’ as the most important factor when looking for a new job. To add some gravity to this number, the research was conducted with more than 300 UK business leaders, HR professionals and employees.

Professional Development

Gen-Z know their worth and expect their employers to see their value too. A Perkbox study revealed that 79% of Gen-Z respondents said they’d ‘thought about moving jobs in the last 6 months’, with ‘the chance to move to a company with better career development’ being the second highest reason for the respondents considering the move. The message here is, that if you want to keep the talent, a clear path to personal development and career progression is key.

Key Takeaways

Overall, Gen-Z won’t sit quiet and accept the status quo. The youngest generation of workers are selective about their place of work and prioritise their work/life balance.

Fair pay as a top priority is a re-occurring theme for all generations of employees and comes as no surprise with the cost-of-living crisis pinching the pockets of many UK workers.

Hybrid working is what Gen-Z have entered the world of work knowing, so it’s what they expect.

When it comes to successful retention it’s all about; culture, progression and personal development.

Whether you’re trying to attract or retain Gen-Z, we hope this blog has helped you to understand what the younger generation is looking for from their employers.

Looking for top talent? We can help!