One prevailing misconception surrounding Gen Z is their reputation as job hoppers, or that they don’t intend to remain with a single company for an extended period of time. However, while it’s true that attention spans have decreased across generations, this perception doesn’t necessarily apply to Gen Z at work. In other words, despite the prevalent notion that this generation consists of restless individuals constantly seeking the next best opportunity, Gen Z doesn’t have a significantly higher inclination to quickly move from one job to another compared to the generations that came before it. Or at the very least, they don’t intend to.
Our analysis of data collected from over 3,000 internship and entry-level candidates during both spring 2022 and spring 2023 clearly demonstrates that Gen Z candidates possess a genuine sense of loyalty toward their employers. They are willing to invest their time and effort into their companies, aiming to make a substantial and meaningful contribution.
Internship and entry-level job seekers expect to stay at their employers for 2.5 years or more
Our data shows that internship and entry-level job seekers do want to make their mark at their employers today. In fact, we found that just 14% of candidates who took our spring 2023 survey said that they only expected to remain at their employer for one year or less, which isn’t significantly different from spring 2022 when 12% of candidates said they would leave their employer after one year or less. Our data also shows that nearly half of Gen Z candidates today envision themselves remaining at one company for two and half years or more, with nearly a quarter of candidates intending to remain at their employer for 3.5 years or more. This data is important for early career talent teams and campus/university recruiting teams because it can help them demonstrate the value of investing in Gen Z talent, and what it takes to retain them as long-term employees.
Gen Zer’s intended job tenure isn’t too different from previous generations
Millennials in the workforce thus far have been found to stay at their jobs for an average of 2 years and 9 months. And while throughout their careers, Gen Xers tenure averaged 5.2 years, and Baby Boomers were known to stick around for 8.4 years, there is also data that shows that Millennials – and by extension Gen Zers — have actually job hopped at lower rates than previous generations when they were 18-24 years old. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that those born between 1957 and 1964 (which takes a sample from both Gen X and Boomers) worked 12.3 jobs on average — nearly half of which they held when they were 18-24 years old. In other words, switching jobs after a few years might just be a characteristic of younger workers.
Gen Z wants opportunities for career advancement
That being said, while Gen Z may envision themselves staying with one employer for a few years, they may not intend to do so while remaining in the same role. In addition to how long candidates plan to remain at one company, we also surveyed Gen Z to determine how much (or how little) time they expect to stay in an entry-level role before receiving a promotion. We found that 40% of Gen Zers expect to receive a promotion at work after just one year or less, and that 70% of Gen Zers expect a promotion within two years.
Aligned with the narrative that Gen Z wants to grow within their companies, we also found that Gen Zers want to grow their skillsets and networks at their organizations. When candidates create a profile on our platform, we ask them to select what they value at work, and for our 2023 report we looked at the key non-compensation elements to understand what culture or environment they thrive in. According to our data from candidates who created profiles on our platform between spring 2022 and spring 2023, we discovered that today’s internship and job-seekers place a strong emphasis on professional development opportunities. This desire to upskill may be correlated to the uncertain economic climate, as employees seek ways to make themselves desirable in the tough labor market.
Gen Z wants to invest in your company, and for you to invest in them. Our data sets on Gen Z’s expectations when it comes to how long they intend to stay at one company and how soon they expect to receive promotions indicate that today’s internship and job seekers want to make a long-lasting impact at an organization and grow within its walls. Seeing as Gen Z also values professional development opportunities at work, it’s clear they are looking for employer support to advance in their careers.
Looking to learn more about Gen Zers entering the workforce today? Download our new report featuring data on the early career recruitment landscape, including an analysis of your competitions’ behavior when it comes to recruitment and hiring.
