How is Gen Z different than Millennials? Just look at their dream employers.
If you think members of Gen Z (born mid-1990s to mid-2000s) are interchangeable with Millennials (born 1980s), think again. The two groups are extremely different, and nothing shows that more clearly than examining their dream employers.
Youth marketing and millennial research recently asked both groups questions about their dream careers and employers. The answers from Gen Z respondents (ages 13 to 17) and Millennials (ages 18 to 36) showed some overlap, but striking differences too.
For example, both groups’ ideal career is an artist or other creative, but medicine/mental health care and engineering are in the number two and three spots for Gen Z, while engineering, education, and self-employment tie for the number two spot among Millennials. Overall, Gen Z is less likely than Millennials to say that their ideal career would be self-employment.
When it comes to both groups’ top ten dream employers, tech companies dominated the list of companies both groups want to work for (Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Tesla made both groups).
However, Facebook appears on the top ten list for Millennials but doesn’t make the cut for younger respondents. Netflix is also in the top ten for Millennials, but doesn’t make Gen Z’s list; instead, YouTube is in the number eight spot for the younger group.
YouTube’s place on Gen Z’s list is not surprising considering this group has grown up consuming massive amounts of content on it. Gen Z is more likely to watch video content on YouTube weekly than any other platform. For this group, YouTube is not just their center of entertainment, but a viable career path too.
Overall, the research appeared to show that Gen Z’s career ambitions may be more driven by practical reasoning than Millennials. Comments from younger respondents noted their dream companies have strong profits and benefits. As children whose parents were likely impacted by the recession, job security and making enough money to own a home and stay out of debt are the kinds of things the Gen Z audience seems to value in their career ambitions.
It will be important for companies to present themselves with stability when appealing to members of Gen Z as potential employees. Zephoria has a long history of helping brands effectively connect with youth and young adults who are potential customers and employees. We are here to support your brand.