- Get to Know: Gen Z
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TNM - Get to Know: Gen Z
Work Shy
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Hello everyone and welcome to our newsletter on all things Gen Z.
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One of us š“š½ is the ex-Economics Editor of BBC News and therefore likes nothing better than digging around graphs and Excel spreadsheets. Perusing the latest Office for National Statistics data in the UK (and who doesnāt like to while away a few hours a week doing that?), we stumbled across this graph:
Which slightly blew our mind. The number of 16-24-year-olds classed as āeconomically inactiveā - that is people out of work and not looking for work - is now higher than it was during the pandemic lockdowns. And is also the highest of any age group.
Now, there have been some pretty funny videos unpicking this on TikTok - but this is a mega-trend worthy of note.
We can suggest a number of reasons - and Deloitteās new report, below, is an essential read.
Many economically inactive young people are students. Many are suffering mental health and anxiety issues. Much entry-level work does not pay well, is dull, poorly managed and frankly not very appealing. Promotion and āgrowthā opportunities are limited as traditional businesses struggle to understand the new world of work.
The grey economy and the āside hustleā mean that much paid for work is out of sight of the official statisticians, and the tax system. The āBank of Mum and Dadā leaves the stay-at-home generation able to live frugally as someone else is paying the heating bills and putting food on the table.
This is a challenge for us all. A world of well paid, supportive jobs, businesses with a āpurposeā which is about more than just profit, clear career paths, greater wealth and opportunities to learn whilst in work are at least part of the list marked āsolutionsā.
And making sure we tell the story of why work is attractive. As we know at Get to Know, all the ātruthsā of the 20th century - in this instance, go to school, get a job as fast as possible - are breaking down.
The successful will be those that understand that and rise to the challenge.
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Happy or peaceful
A new report from the Pew Research Center has found that nearly three-quarters of US teens feel happy or peaceful when they donāt have their phones with them. But these positive associations arenāt affecting habits, as most teens have not limited their phone or social media use as a result š¤.
Speaking of screen time . . .
According to new research from Morning Consult, half of Gen Alpha are already streaming video daily - a stat which includes the youngest in the generation, aged four and under š¬. 39% of children spend at least three hours online each day, while 24% spend at least seven hours a day on their smartphones. Itās where the audience is, and will remain so.
That Deloitte report we mentioned . . .
For Gen Z leaders, the core things that matter at work are mental health, work-life balance, and emotional intelligence. Based on some early case studies, these values are building workplaces that are less hierarchical, more informal and a lot more focused on wellbeing. The shift is pronounced by this report from Deloitte, which shows that Gen Z workers consider āempathyā the second most important trait in a boss after āpatienceā, whereas their managers rank it fifth.
But not everyone is here for Gen Zās workisms
We talk a lot about Gen Z lingo, but when it comes to new language in the workplace, not everyone is on board. Some employers feel that casual communication is unprofessional, which is hard to marry with advice like ābe yourselfā or ābring your whole self to workā, which many Gen Zers have been raised on. We are not sure that either of those phrases are very useful when it comes to the workplace - there are, for good reason, boundaries.
Talking Point
Itās the era of the half marathon. It started about a year ago, Iād say. Scrolling on Instagram, Iād see the occasional celebratory post about a particularly speedy finish time. Fair play.
Scroll again - a growing number of people doing a weekend ParkRun. Then suddenly, my feeds are flush with rosy runners. Engagement or marriage posts - rare. New home owners - absolutely not. Itās all half marathon bibs and Lucozade.
The Gen Z zeitgeist, to my amazement, is running. Itās even the new go-to for dating. Iāve never been a runner - my knees give out on the first stride. So when my flatmates invited me to join them in Amsterdam in October to watch their āhalfā, I felt oddly left out. A voyeur on the sidelines of athleticism.
But Iāve been thinking recently thereās actually something quite beautiful in it all. A generation that is going outside, achieving something beyond the normal milestones of career and relationships. Just doing something for themselves. The pleasure of working towards something and completing it.
So yes, Iāll be standing at the finish line waiting for my panting friends and cheering them on for that small win in this big intimidating world.
- Sophie Peachey, Assistant News Editor & Correspondent, The News Movement, London
And finallyā¦
46%
ā¦of Gen Z think having a stay-at-home dad would be "just as good" as having a stay-at-home mum, which is lower than any other age demographic polled. Just over one in five of Gen Z thought it was "worse".
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How can we help?
In my many travels and conversations, Iām 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, weād 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 ā 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
Our Top 5 News List
The top stories young people cared about this week, from our audience team and newsroom debates.
1. Should access to pornography - be age verified?
2. Could TikTok be banned - in the US?
3. It is very heartening to report - when homophobic abuse in football leads to players being dropped
4. After the US State of the Union - here's how to cover how people react
5. The White House - throwing a bit of shade at the Princess of Wales and THAT photo
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