Hello everyone and welcome to our newsletter on all things Gen Z.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Sometimes the skill of good horizon scanning is ignoring the choppy waves breaking on the beach and working out which way the tide is heading. What we do know is that the tide of the growing Gen Z workforce is sweeping all before it. 

In the US, the number of Gen Z in employment will overtake Baby Boomers by next year. It’s a similar story in the UK. And there are plenty of studies to suggest that Gen Z’s spending power already tops that of Millennials.

This means major change in workplaces and consumption habits.

As the chief economist at the employment-trend analysis firm, Glassdoor, says: “The Boomers are being replaced by very different people who prioritise different expectations around work.”

We already know that listening to younger colleagues is better than simply “telling them what to do”. Flipping the mentoring model on its head (allowing the under-30s to guide the over-30s) creates very different conversations. For example, Gen Z are a lot more adept at navigating the challenges and opportunities of generative AI than older people. 

Some of us at Get to Know Towers might be a little more stuck in our ways 👴🏽, but not all of us 👩‍🦰.

PS - with the holidays fast approaching, how about a little delve into the Capsule Gift Guide? Thoughtful gifts that cost very little - it’s, like, a thing.

Social media breaks

There is a growing trend of young people taking a break from social media for their mental health, and actually feeling better for doing so. Research from HMD Global found that three in five Gen Zers are regularly undertaking a social media detox to reconnect with the world around them. For those of us who make content (which is most of us these days, whether directly or indirectly), it’s time for us to think about what we’re adding to people’s timelines when we post. Is it worth it?

Finding love in new places

We’ve reported for a while that younger generations are falling out of love with the dating app experience, and now there’s a workaround. From exercise-tracking app Strava, language-learning platform Duolingo, or film-review hub Letterboxd, young singles are finding connections on platforms that align with their interests.

Talking of work. . .

Why has Gen Z got such a downer on "middle management? For some young workers, taking on more responsibility isn’t always worth the often small salary bump or the mental burden (stress is a key factor in not wanting to “climb the ladder”). As a result, some young people would rather earn more at their current level, or wait it out and go for more senior roles later on.

. . .it’s all about self-sufficiency

Instagram’s ‘Trend Talk’, their annual global Gen Z survey, highlights that one in three Gen Zers say "the best way to achieve wealth" is to work for themselves. Companies would do well to encourage staff to develop their ideas and pursue side hustles alongside their work.

And finally…

30%

. . . of Gen Zers’ net worth is spent on buying art, according to a new Art Basel survey. This follows data that under-40s are the fastest-growing group of art buyers, with women being the biggest spenders.

How can we help?

In my many travels and conversations, I’m increasingly talking to CEOs, executives and civil society leaders wanting to better understand the next generation of consumers and the next generation of employees. Gen Z is putting pressure on us all to transform in fascinating ways, and many of us are asking questions about how to cater for younger workers and future proof our organisations.

If this sounds like you, we’d be keen to have a chat and see if TNM can help. From our own content production to work we have done, for example, with The Oliver Wyman Forum, we have a raft of insights and data which can support you. We work closely with a number of global organisations – helping with high-impact story-telling, digital media, internal communications, through to employee benefits, HR and working structures.

Email me direct and all of us at TNM look forward to speaking further.

Kamal Ahmed
Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder
The News Movement

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