Is a lack of loyalty hindering Gen Z development?

Gone are the days when employees would build a career with one employer and remain with an organisation for upwards of 10 years. Hierarchical structures are being replaced with matrix alternatives.

Is a lack of loyalty hindering Gen Z development?

Gone are the days when employees would build a career with one employer and remain with an organisation for upwards of 10 years. Hierarchical structures are being replaced with matrix alternatives, and employees are having to embrace a greater sense of mobility in their careers to acquire the skills and experience that would previously have been accrued by ‘climbing the ladder’.

Young workers are 82% more likely to keep an eye out for new opportunities and have the least confidence in internal mobility - McKinsey, Mind the Gap, 2022

As a result, employees are showing less loyalty to their employers and are willing to jump between jobs to further their careers, especially if there’s no visibility of career growth opportunities. This lack of loyalty is shown most prominently in younger generations, with a combined 42% of Gen Zers and Millennials looking to change employer within the next year – compared to just 15% of Gen X and 18% of Baby Boomers.

of Gen Z employees are planning to leave their current role within a year

On average, Gen Z employees are planning to spend a whole year less with their current employer than any other generation. Investing in the development of young talent, only for those individuals to walk out the door with their newly-acquired skills, can be extremely costly in terms of time and money.

Therefore, a clear retention strategy is key; if employees aren’t willing to stay due to a sense of loyalty, what will encourage them to stick around? Are current development programmes doing enough to create alignment between the business and its employees, and are businesses demonstrating what a meaningful career could look like?

of Gen Z employees say they want a meaningful career rather than ‘just a job’.

22.3 percent of workers ages 20 and older spent a year or less at their jobs in 2022, the highest percentage with a tenure that short since 2006, according to data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Gen Zers are happy to ditch unfulfilling jobs for something better, and 70% who say they're "loyal" to their employers are either actively or passively seeking a new job.