Before we dive in, I want to avoid painting everyone with the same brush. While Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z & Millennial Survey offers important insights, people are wonderfully unique, and no survey can define them all. A personalised, holistic approach to talent management is key to any effective People & Culture strategy.
Many of these practices and strategies can benefit everyone, no matter their generation.
But these trends matter. Why? By 2030, Gen Z and Millennials will make up a whopping 74% of the global workforce. Their wants, needs, and motivations are already reshaping how we work, lead, and connect — and we need to be ready.
What’s on their minds
🔹 Top reasons they leave:
- Work-life balance
- Purpose
- Compensation
🔹 Top goals:
- Financial independence
- Security
- Flexibility
Not exactly shocking — but 31% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials (from 23,482 respondents across 44 countries) plan to switch employers within the next 2 years.
This isn’t about disloyalty; it’s about priorities. Understanding these insights gives us the power to shape strategies that genuinely attract, retain, and develop this talent — and maybe even help improve those statistics.
The trifecta for retention:
- 💰 Financial security
- 🌱 Meaningful work
- 🧘 Wellbeing
What can we do?
💡 Support wellbeing:
- Rethink job design and workloads.
- Train leaders to spot stress early.
- Make flexible working a norm, not a perk.
💡 Connect to purpose:
- Clearly define and communicate your organisational “why.”
- Show people how their work creates impact.
- Make purpose part of daily life, not just a slogan on your website.
💡 Financial security matters:
- Competitive, transparent pay.
- Flexible benefits tailored to different life stages.
- Provide financial education.
💡 Reimagine leadership:
- Shift from “command and control” to coaching and connection.
- Develop middle managers to be true leaders, not just task controllers.
- Role model what exceptional leadership looks like.
- Explore flatter, more agile structures.
💡 Rethink degrees:
- Do you really need that piece of paper?
- Shift to skills, values, and potential-based hiring.
- Partner with programs that build real-world, inclusive pathways.
💬 Curious to hear: Which of these trends resonates most with you? Where is your organisation thriving, and where might it need a shift?
✨ If you’d like to explore how EHQ can support you in applying these insights to proactively address challenges and opportunities, reach out. We’d love to help you bring these trends to life in a way that makes sense for your unique context and culture.
#futureofwork #genz #culture #ehqconsulting
