The youngest people in the labor market, the so-called Generation Z, are said to be less ambitious in their professional lives than previous generations. A study refutes this prejudice.
Is Generation Z using the skills shortage to their advantage?
Attributes such as “demanding” and “willing to change” are sometimes associated with Generation Z, the youngest players in the labor market, as a report by the Tagesschau shows. Accordingly, young employees are particularly characterized by lower loyalty to employers and a desire for special privileges such as working from home and longer periods of leave, so-called sabbaticals. As the Tagesschau reports, the majority of young employees are aware of their advantageous negotiating position due to the cross-industry shortage of skilled workers and are exploiting this against employers. Generation Z is characterized primarily by the desire for good salaries with a low level of stress.
Study refutes prejudices
The Süddeutsche Zeitung, on the other hand, paints a different picture of Generation Z and dispels prejudices against them. Citing data from the career network LinkedIn and the opinion research institute YouGov, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the young generation is willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve their own career goals.
For example, 52 percent of the 2,500 people between the ages of 16 and 28 surveyed said that they would accept working overtime or moving if it would benefit their career. Furthermore, 81 percent of those surveyed are willing to do a lot, provided they see meaning in their work.
Phase of life significantly influences attitudes and views
Other scientific studies in the past have also come to a similar conclusion that prejudices should not be generalized to entire generations. Certain attitudes of employees would be significantly influenced by the phase of life in which the relevant people are currently. For example, the Marburg sociologist Martin Schröder came to the conclusion that attitudes and views of different generations are similar in the respective phases of life and that certain tendencies among employees are less limited to one generation than to a similar age in each generation.
Editorial team finanzen.net