GenZ by 2030 will account for one third of workers, that is why it cannot be neglected

Between now and 2030, policies to attract and retain Generation Z - i.e., those born between the 1990s and the early 2000s - will have to weigh ever more heavily in human resources management strategies. For the simple reason that Gen Z will represent a third of the people in companies globally and is a generation that has brought with it a great discontinuity in terms of high expectations on issues such as well-being, job satisfaction, and trust.

At ManpowerGroup Italy's Annual Conference, entitled 'The Exchange - Let's design the future of work together', many themes that characterise GenZ emerged, such as the propensity to leave one's job within six months (which touches 49% in Italy, against 47% at global level), which, however, goes hand in hand with the search for job stability, provided it is the right one (which touches almost 70%). However, another figure is a wake-up call: engagement, which has fallen from 40% to 35% over the last five years. There are many reasons for this, ranging from opportunities to learn and develop new skills, to a poor connection to the company mission, to few opportunities for professional growth and to make one's opinion heard. Completing the portrait of Manpowergroup's research is the high level of stress in daily work activities, which affects almost 57%, compared to 44% of Italian 'baby boomers'..

David Herranz, Regional President of Southern Europe at ManpowerGroup, says that 'Generation Z is very clear about what they want in terms of values, expectations, career and work-life balance and how each generation expresses this in its own language. Companies that want to attract top talent need to be flexible to understand them best'. The managing director of Manpowergroup in Italy, Anna Gionfriddo, adds that 'we have learnt that the focus on listening, on the engagement of talents by organisations is fundamental. In the We Economy that is developing, the companies of the future will have to be ecodigital, human, personalised, adaptable and plural'. So it is not surprising that recruitment (28%) and upskilling and reskilling (28%) aimed at Gen Z are among the priorities of companies globally, along with the proposal of solutions to improve well-being, with flexible hours, higher salaries and professional growth paths.

The context in which these reflections take place, as explained by Paolo Magri, chairman of the ISPI Scientific Committee, speaking at the Manpowergroup annual conference, is characterised by "uncertainty and chaos, which began on 11 September 2001 and continued with economic crises, pandemics, the decline of old powers and the rise of new ones. In the last year, uncertainty has accelerated: trade struggles, tariffs, unilateral agreements on international crises, new alliances and new enmities between countries: a fundamental uncertainty has been created, with repercussions on markets, the international economy and relations between states. How should Europe react? I take up President Sergio Mattarella's words of a few days ago: Europe must be united, serene and determined. And let us avoid paralysis: let us not give in to either desperate pessimism or naive optimism, let us remain vigilant and aware of our strength'. In this context of uncertainty, Carlo Cottarelli, Director of the Observatory on Italian Public Accounts at the Catholic University of Milan, noted that "over the last 10 years, more than 30 thousand young Italians under the age of 35 have left Italy to work abroad. The reason is quickly said: from 1999 to 2019, Italy was unfortunately one of the last countries in the world in terms of per capita income growth in terms of purchasing power. Thanks to the influx of European resources and post-pandemic public investments, growth and employment improved, but mainly low-value-added and low-paid jobs were created in catering, trade, and construction. A decisive increase in skilled jobs, productivity and wages requires action on four fronts: lowering the tax burden, lowering the cost of energy, streamlining bureaucracy, and reducing the length of civil trials. There is a generational problem in Italy: there are few young people and above all they vote little, so their needs are not taken into account'.