Mind the Gap: Here’s why it’s a good thing that ~25% of Gen Z is looking to leave their jobs

CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

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Graphic of a man jumping over of a chart

Welcome back! Have you seen the memes of employers asking for ten years of experience for an entry-level job? It’s funny because it’s true.

Few entry-level workers expect their first job to be their forever home—there’s no more “get a job out of college and stay until retirement.” Gen Z is already infamous for its cunning job hoppers, but making a jump can be one of the best tools you have at your disposal.

That’s backed up by our new report, which found that there’s nothing more important to your salary than experience—it can be responsible for a whopping 40 to 60 percent of your total lifetime earnings 🤯.

What jobs have you held so far? Folding grandpa cardigans as a retail clerk might have taught you customer service and saintlike patience, lifeguarding might have given you leadership skills, and in your first postcollegiate job (shameless plug: maybe with us?), you might learn budgeting and project management … you see my point. It’s the whole tool kit that matters, and you’re the sum of all your parts.

That’s why bold career moves can help in the long run as you stack your résumé’s skills section. They’re useful in the short term, too: one 25-year-old more than doubled her salary by switching jobs every year and a half since she graduated.

No wonder around 25 percent of Gen Z say they’re hoping or planning to leave their job within the next six months.

While more than 80 percent of role moves are to a new company, there are more options than simply abandoning ship—you could advocate for new responsibilities at your current job or apply for a promotion or role switch within your company. Sure, it’s intimidating to ask to take on more when you don’t have the prior experience, but it can be a win for your company too. Organizations benefit from retaining employees who aren’t afraid to step up and from having a highly skilled workforce, which can come from giving more employees opportunities to learn and grow.

We’ve found that the most upwardly mobile people make bold moves frequently. So be brave and ask your boss for that new opportunity—you’ll be glad today, tomorrow, and long down the line.

VISUALIZE IT

Workers are in a great position, and they’re seeing wages rise—in some cases, doubling rates from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it time for you to make a switch?

Chart about postpandemic private wages in the United States

Double up

QUOTE US ON IT

“Knowledge workers with skills that are easily portable across employers and geographic locations have power.”

—McKinsey partner and talent expert Bryan Hancock on the rise of worker power

Wait, don’t scroll

Making the move. Acha Leke, a senior partner and chairman of our African region—now known as “the most connected person in Africa”—made a career move of his own when he chose to relocate to South Africa at a time when “nobody was moving to the continent.” Here’s how he used purpose to carve his own path.

The employer POV. When workers bail out for better jobs (or just to not be doing that job), it can leave a big gap behind. To lure talent back in, employers need to adapt to offer more pay, provide flexibility and work–life balance, and rethink their hiring strategy.

Not us; still great

‘Gen Z does not dream of labor.’ Rather than buying into the rat race, many members of Gen Z are choosing lives that allow them leisure time to pursue their passions. There’s no “dream job,” because a job isn’t the dream—it’s just a way to fund the things that are. [Vox]

See you later. One survey finds that around 25 percent of Gen Z workers say they were hoping or planning to leave their current job in the next six months—to grab pay bumps or new experiences. [LinkedIn News]

Don’t be that person who doesn’t call. Employers are losing talented candidates (who are sorely needed in today’s market) because of annoying hiring processes or slow response rates: 62 percent of candidates say they lose interest after an interview in two weeks if they haven’t been contacted. [Harvard Business Review]