For Gen Z, technology is not a top priority.
The youngest members of Gen Z are shunning traditional technology companies for new market sectors. At 90 million, Gen Z is significantly larger than any generation before it, making them a key statistic for recruitment in growth-oriented organizations. Why are the youngest generation rethinking the work sectors that are most appealing to them and shunning technology? And what companies and industries are capturing the interest of the youngest generation in the workforce?
Gen Z values and employer desirability
According to a survey of over 10,000 respondents conducted by the National Association of High School Scholars, technology companies are not placing much importance on Gen Z’s career aspirations. According to the survey, Gen Z is looking for an alignment with their important values. Here are the factors that are most important to Gen Z when searching for an employer:
- Fair treatment of employees (28%)
- Work-life balance (25%)
- Corporate social responsibility (14%)
In addition to health insurance (topping the list with 72% of respondents), Gen Z also values personal time, with vacation time (63%) and flexible work schedules (61%) being the compensation and benefits they value most. They are also looking to their next career move, looking for employers who invest in them, and the most sought-after work experience is professional development opportunities (86%) and a clear path to advancement (44%). To be fair, these values may or may not be present at larger tech companies. And while this study has a large sample size, it does not speak for the entire generation, industry, or employer. This study measures perception, and for tech companies looking to hire Gen Z, perception is reality.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced changes in preferences and career aspirations of Gen Z. When asked what issues are important to them in their careers, 32% of survey respondents said “healthcare and health-related issues,” making this the most common answer.
Participants were negative about the overall impact of artificial intelligence (AI), with only 41% believing that AI’s positive impact on society will outweigh its negative impacts over the next decade. Perhaps this sentiment toward AI, a symbol of technological advancement, is contributing to Gen Z’s aversion to technology careers.
Healthcare to Technology Shift
According to the report, Gen Z prefers working for large corporations over small and family-run businesses. However, interest in medical professionals and healthcare remains high. Instead of aspiring to big names like Meta, Netflix, IBM, and Cisco, Gen Z is targeting hospitals and healthcare organizations as their most desired employers.
From this perspective, St. Jude Children’s Hospital took the top spot. Mayo Clinic came in second, and working at a local hospital came in fourth in the survey. Google dropped from first place in 2017 to seventh place. Amazon dropped to eighth place, with Apple and The Walt Disney Company rounding out the top 10.
Discovering Opportunities and Investments for Gen Z
Opportunities remain abundant in the healthcare field. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital employment has declined significantly, presenting potential opportunities for healthcare-trained workers. The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a shortage of 10 million healthcare workers worldwide by 2030. According to the American Hospital Association, hospital employment has declined by approximately 94,000 since February 2020, and by more than 8,000 between August 2021 and September 2021 alone. While the pandemic is arguably the primary driver of these figures, turnover could also be attributed to low job satisfaction, burnout, and other factors that may be surprising to Gen Z applicants in the healthcare field. Nevertheless, the market for healthcare services (and healthcare workers) remains attractive to young career aspirants.
