The jobs Gen Z want
tech jobs are out, whilst some surprising alternatives are in
Welcome to the latest edition of The Gen Zer. This week, we discuss new research into what jobs graduates are after. We also look into Gen Z’s inability to flirt (which is apparently a thing), a boom in creator startup funding, and the next gen love for all things analogue.
What careers are Gen Zers looking for?
Think of an aspirational twenty-year-old, and you might expect them to be on their way to a promising future in the tech industry. For what feels like a decade or two, Silicon Valley has been the shining beacon that attracts swarms of high-flying youngsters every year – but now, for the youth of today, Big Tech’s appeal is starting to wear off.
Every few years the National Society of High School Scholars surveys over 10,000 high-achieving Gen Zers to find out what jobs they are dreaming of. In the past, as you’d expect, the rankings have been dominated by Big Tech. 2018 saw Google, Amazon and Apple all sit comfortably in the top 10, for instance.
In 2024, however, all four of those tech behemoths — along with companies like Netflix, Spotify and Microsoft — have slipped down the rankings. Gen Zers are turning away from tech companies, it seems.
There are two main reasons for why Big Tech has lost its allure. The first is pretty simple: the job market in tech is bad at the moment. The tech sector laid off hundreds of thousands of employees last year, with the cut backs continuing in 2024. After the boom of the past few years there’s now a period of cutting costs and scaling back initiatives.
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The second reason is more nuanced. A decade or two ago, a job at a big tech company seemed like a golden opportunity to do something good. The high salaries and ping pong tables were nice, but what also mattered to a lot of aspirational twenty-year-olds was the fact that they felt like they were making a real difference in the world — they were connecting communities, bringing people together, creating opportunities, and so on. Gen Zers are now more sceptical.
From spreading misinformation to endangering teens, tech companies haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory. Just as ethically minded youngsters switched from banking to tech after the scandal-ridden financial crisis, Gen Zers are now switching their aspirations from tech to other fields.
So what industries are Gen Z interested in?
In the US, the biggest shift has been towards careers in healthcare and government, surprisingly. In the 2024 survey, the Gen Zers ranked working for their local hospital at number 4, whilst St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was ranked at number 1. The FBI and NASA were ranked at numbers 4 and 5 respectively, and throughout the top rankings more healthcare and government organisations dominated.
It’s a curious change. It’s partly down to what I’ve already mentioned above: the desire for an altruistic and impactful career. Gen Zers disillusioned with Big Tech are falling back to simpler and more reliable ways of improving the world — working in hospitals and research centres, for example.
But there’s another motivating factor at play here. According to research recently conducted by Handshake, job stability is the most likely thing that will make a Gen Zer more likely to apply to a job.
It’s understandable that stability is such a motivating factor for Gen Z. As a generation we’ve grown up against a backdrop of international instability, from 9/11 and the Iraq War, to the financial crash of 2008, Covid 19, the war in Ukraine, an increasingly divided world order and a whole host of other worries both abroad and closer to home. In the UK, the past decade has seen not only Brexit but also six different Prime Ministers, not to mention a housing and rental crisis and a skyrocketing cost of living.
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Given all of this has happened during Gen Z’s childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, it’s no wonder we’re now looking for a stable paycheck. Handshake found that a much larger proportion of graduates are pessimistic about the state of the economy — 60% as opposed to 46% last year. More than half of the graduates surveyed said they’re worried about covering basic expenses once they enter the workforce, and over a third are concerned about paying back student debt.
There were a few other interesting takeaways from the Handshake research piece. 75% of the Gen Zers interviewed stated that they read reviews of an employer before applying for a job, whilst 94% said they would consider applying for a role if they had already had a positive experience with the employer in question. For employers, there’s a good opportunity to attract bright Gen Zers through sharing behind-the-scenes content and reaching out to prospective employees at an earlier stage.
Overall, Gen Z are putting more effort than ever into the job search, sending out more applications on average and diversifying the kinds of careers they are applying for. Computer science graduates aren’t just applying to software engineering roles, but are increasingly applying for roles in areas like information security or computer hardware. Similarly, business students are moving away from traditional consulting roles in favour of positions in analytics, customer success and marketing. In unstable times, Zers are diversifying and putting the effort in to find something stable.
Gen Z around the Web
the latest stories in youth culture and changing trends . . .
Gen Z don’t know how to flirt, apparently (nbc news)
This was a pretty interesting take considering all the current buzz around dating apps and Gen Z’s love-hate relationship with them. As a generation we’re pretty used to the performative side of things, whether it’s on Instagram or Hinge, but when it comes it interacting with someone irl? Read more
Hinge and Grindr are leaving Bumble and Tinder in the dust (qz)
. . . Speaking of dating apps, some are doing much better with Gen Z. For our generation, Tinder suffers heavily from the ick factor, whereas Hinge is merely a necessary evil. Read more
There’s a tonne of money being poured into creator startups (the information)
Creator startups have already raised as much money this year as in all of 2023. Whilst it might seem like the era of the influencer is dwindling, creators are moving forward into new avenues — turning their personal brands into personal businesses. Read more
Forget digital, Gen Z loves analogue (fortune)
Generation Z is the primary driver behind the boom in print books and analogue music. Although a lot of these things seemed to get increasingly left in the dust during our childhood, we’re now steadily resurrecting them. Who doesn’t love a glovebox full of old CDs?? Read more
That’s all for this week! Make sure to subscribe for the latest on Gen Z and youth culture, and check out The Common Thred for a weekly roundup of the latest news, trends and thought pieces.
see ya soon,
Jeremy from Thred Media
Interesting read!!
amazing work, keep it up. good insights to think about.