Following a survey of 12,000+ young people, Unifrog reveal what Gen Z are seeking from their future employers. Looking to attract the talent of tomorrow? Read on:
Work/life balance is a priority for Gen Z
The survey asked students aged 11-18 what’s most important to them when thinking about their future career. The most important factor, across all genders and age groups, came out as ‘Good work/life balance (for example, having enough time off, or being able to work from home)’ with 36% of all respondents stating this as most important.
Gender bias
This was followed by ‘high salary’ (29%) and ‘work that helps people or has a positive social impact’ (16%). There’s a clear gender bias here, with 35% of boys prioritising a high salary compared to 25% of girls. Having a positive social impact is more important to girls, with 20% choosing it as the most important factor when deciding on a future career, compared to 10% of boys.
Unrealistic salary expectations
While a high salary is important, especially to boys, the young people surveyed appear to have unrealistic expectations when it comes to what they expect to be earning at 25. A whopping 67% anticipate they’ll be on salaries over £30,000, with boys 12% more likely to predict this than girls. What’s more, a third believe they’ll be earning more than £50,000 a year at the age of 25! According to Statista, the median full-time salary in the UK in 2022 was £26,329 for women and £28,657 for men
First-hand accounts
When it comes to how Gen Z want to hear about future employers, there’s a demand for first-hand information. 57% are keen to hear from current employees and apprentices, followed by their own teachers (47%). Recruitment teams are the least popular source of information, with only 39% saying they would like to hear about opportunities this way. Unifrog has seen a similar trend, with webinar sessions featuring current apprentices out-performing those that only feature recruitment teams. 1,150 students signed up to join Unifrog’s recent webinar with the NHS to hear from current apprentices and employees at the start of their career journeys!
Unifrog’s recommendations for Early Careers teams
- Showcase your company’s commitment to a good work/life balance across your early career recruitment materials.
- Prioritise content from current apprentices and employees, across all your channels.
- Use teachers as a key channel to communicate with students. Connect with them at events and create content for them to deliver in school.
- Be transparent about salaries to counteract gen Z’s distorted expectations.
Contributor
Unifrog is the universal destinations platform where students research and decide their future career path. Our Employer Partnerships team supports organisations with student outreach, brand awareness and apprenticeship recruitment. Through interactive events and lead generation, we help our employer partners engage with 1.2million+ students using Unifrog across 3,000 schools.
