Quitters? Job-hoppers? Gen Z are the most loyal workers, according to UK research

The most loyal employees? You guessed it: Gen Z. According to an extensive study by UK-based Right Management, Generation Z trumps all other generations. ‘Our results show them to be more loyal than other generations: they are thinking long-term about their careers’, said Lorraine Mills, Principal Consultant.

Jasper Spanjaart on December 20, 2023 Average reading time: 2 min
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Quitters? Job-hoppers? Gen Z are the most loyal workers, according to UK research

It is a survey to break all the stereotypes. In total, Right Management encompassed insights form approximately 2,000 employees and leaders, in an attempt to unearth loyalty patterns across different age cohorts. One of its major revelations: over half of Generation Z employees (53%) express a commitment to staying in their current roles for a noteworthy duration—between one and five years. 

Gen Z more committed long-term than other generations

Interestingly, Generation Z exhibits a pronounced inclination towards long-term commitment, with 36% intending to remain in their present roles for more than one year but up to three years. In comparison, only 25% of millennials (aged 27-42), 16% of Gen X (43-58), and 22% of baby boomers (59-77) share a similar sentiment. 

Moreover, an additional 17% of Gen Z professionals are plotting a tenure of more than three years but up to five, surpassing the corresponding figures for millennials (16%), Gen X (12%), and baby boomers (15%). The survey also unveils the intriguing aspect of trust within the workplace. A resounding 85% of Generation Z employees express a high level of trust in their line managers regarding open and honest discussions about their career aspirations.

Unfairly branded

If anything, the data reveals that Gen Z, often unfairly branded as job-hoppers and disengaged, defy these stereotypes. “Intergenerational workplace differences are often subject to healthy debate, especially today as we see more Gen Z individuals joining the workforce, having been the first age-group to grow up exclusively in our online, globally connected and digital era”, says Lorraine Mills, Principal Consultant at Right Management.

“Gen Z are thinking long-term about their careers, and have stronger motivations to discuss career aspirations with their line managers.”

In other words: Gen Z requires a certain nuanced look, Mills says. “Gen Z are frequently typecast as being job-hoppers, disengaged and lacking in motivation; but our recent results suggest the opposite, showing them to be more loyal than other generations. That they are thinking long-term about their careers, and have stronger motivations to discuss career aspirations with their line managers.”

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Jasper Spanjaart

Jasper Spanjaart

Editor-in-Chief and Writer at ToTalent.eu
Editor-in-Chief and writer for European Total Talent Acquisition platform ToTalent.eu.
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