The rebus of Gen Z: record number of graduates, but no career

A motivation that draws strength from the very identity of the job, from its performance. An idea of a career marked by the possibility of experience rather than the climbing of corporate roles. A, pursued and demanded, clear separation between professional and personal life. These are the three fundamental pillars on which the so-called Z Generation imprint their relationship with work. These are the young people born between 1996 and 2012, i.e. 13.5% of the Italian population, 10% of the current Italian working population and 58% of the global working population in 2030.

The Hr Innovation Practice Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano dealt with them, but above all with their professional expectations, producing an analysis entitled"Generation Z: what evolutions in the world of work?" (the sample includes students from various universities: Politecnico di Milano, Statale, Bicocca). Starting from an observation: the one considered is "the most educated generation ever, 47% of new recruits are in fact university graduates, are digital natives and have been trained through distance learning". More generally, they are individuals "very concerned with the social and environmental impacts of their actions. They have little trust in institutions (state and organisations) and their communication strategies. They grew up in an unstable environment (the 2008 crisis, 2012 recession, Covid-19, climate crisis, international conflicts). They are very present-oriented, with little hope for the future'.

The combination of these components results in a rejectionist perception of the national labour market that relies on two criticisms. The first is related to its complexity ("the labour market is very complicated, full of facets, and with many disciplines that require high specialisation [...], this gives young people a lot of opportunities, but also makes it difficult to choose and orient themselves", they complain); the second is the lack of attention to inclusion policies and support for young people ("Italy is a country for old people in everything [...], from policies to companies. Young people are not listened to and valued [...] it is always thought that they do not know how to do anything').

And in fact, Polimi researchers point out, if we look at the data we discover how between 2004 and 2022 the employment rate among 15-34 year olds declined (-8.6%) while that of 50-64 year olds grew (+19.2%); how 16% of GDP is destined for welfare and the pension system, one of the highest percentages in Europe, while only 2% of the resources of the NRP are dedicated to youth policies. All this triggers the fear of 'not finding a job', or at any rate of not finding one linked to 'what one has studied, or with a non-decent contract'. A fear, the researchers go on to reconstruct, that is not at all irrational since "from 1990 to 2023 there has been a cumulative increase in inflation of 109%, an increase in the cost of rents and housing from 2010 to 2023 of 16% and 13% respectively, a flexion in real terms of the average wage per year from 1990 to 2020 of 3 per cent".

The reaction is therefore the affirmation of an idea: foreign markets are more attractive ("abroad there are more rights and respect for workers [...] If you find a contract it is usually well paid and open-ended [...] In Italy, a young person is often in a precarious situation, without a minimum wage, or working illegally', are the answers), so much so that 80% of those interviewed said they wanted to go and work abroad - not by chance, from 2011 to 2023, 550,000 young Italians between the ages of 18 and 34 moved there - and 40% changed jobs because of pay that was considered inadequate. This, explains Martina Mauri, director of the HR Innovation Practice Observatory, has led to "an important shift towards the intrinsic aspect of motivation. While the extrinsic one loses strength, i.e. work is no longer a status symbol or the attainment of the classic status symbols, a nice car, a nice house. The individual, personal aspect is prevalent. And this is evident from the importance given to the balance with private life'.