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Young Gen Zers are unemployable, lack workplace skills, work ethic: 1 in 4 hiring managers surveyed
ResumeTemplates.com, the leading platform for free professional resume templates and examples, has published a recent survey report highlighting concerns among hiring managers regarding the employability of young Gen Z workers. In July, ResumeTemplates.com surveyed 1,000 hiring managers in the United States to understand their perceptions of the newest entrants into the workforce.
According to the survey, 24 percent of hiring managers believe young Gen Zers (defined in the survey as those between 18 and 23 years of age) are “unemployable” due to a lack of necessary workplace skills. The most commonly cited deficiencies include lack of work ethic, lack of accountability, and poor work ethic.
“One thing to remember is that every young generation goes through this kind of criticism,” says Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at ResumeTemplates.com. “Millennials were called lazy and entitled. Gen Z is getting branded as lacking work ethic and accountability.”
“One thing to remember is that every young generation goes through this kind of criticism,” says Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at ResumeTemplates.com. “Millennials were called lazy and entitled. Gen Z is getting branded as lacking work ethic and accountability.”
Other key findings from the survey include:
Seventeen percent say their employer is not very (15%) or not at all willing (2%) to hire young Gen Zers for full-time roles.
Fifty-six percent say their employers are offering part-time roles instead; 47% are offering contract work, 45% paid internships, and 17% unpaid internships.
Thirty-eight percent say young Gen Zers at their workplace are offered lower pay than older coworkers for similar job roles; nearly half of this group believes that the current job market allows employers to offer lower pay to this age group.
This survey was conducted in July 2024.
In total, 1,000 U.S. respondents completed the survey. To take the full survey, respondents had to answer that they were very involved in their employer’s hiring process. They also had to identify themselves as age 25 or older, currently employed for wages, working at a company with 11 or more employees, earning an annual household income of at least $50,000, and as one of the following job roles: owner or partner, president/CEO/chairperson, C-level executive, middle management, chief financial officer (CFO), chief technical officer (CTO), senior management, director, human resources manager, business administrator, or supervisor.
To view the full survey report: https://www.resumetemplates.com/1-in-4-hiring-managers-say-young-gen-zers-are-unemployable/.
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The actual Gen Z age ranges from the years 1997 to 2012 (12 yrs. to 27 yrs. of age) which is 15 yrs. a generation. This survey cherry-picked the 18 to 23 yrs. olds, most of whom are still in high school or college. They are beginning the ‘adult’ stage of life where reality kicks in. I doubt that many in this age group have much of the so-called ‘experience’ or ‘responsibility’ employers want. I started working at 18. I was polite, intelligent (book smart), and willing to work. What I didn’t know at 18 or even 23 could fill a book. Gossip, office/workplace politics, and one-upmanship were foreign. These things aren’t attributes and can’t be taught. Every workplace has a different set of rules, and a different way to train i.e. bookkeeping & accounting are 2 different animals and every company does it differently. If employers shut these young kids out, how are they supposed to learn? How many 18 yr. olds have a resume? Does baby sitting or lawn cutting count? Employers need the younger ones. It’s a golden opportunity to mold and shape them for the world of work, which they will do for most of their lives. It gives them a chance to learn, something I encourage every day. It also reeks of ageism on both ends of a calendar year – too young and too old = a minus for these companies. Hiring, training, and patience will build loyalty, as will fairness. If an employer wants a successful company, the employer has to do his part by hiring them and encouraging them.