Why Are Generation Z Different?

Generations Defined

Describing generations with names is quite new and reflects a changing world. This blog is about Generation Z (Gen Z, between 8 and 25 years old), what they think and why they are different from previous generations. We older people have Gen Z children or grandchildren. So understanding what they think, do and what jobs will be available for them is vitally important to us. Hopefully, the following helps.

Which Generation are You?

(*age if still alive today)

Table from Career Planners Inc.

Gen Z

Gen Z, aged up to 25, is the first to have lived entirely in the digital age and yes, these kids live on their phones!

Is this a bad thing? While they may be incredibly well informed, parents need to ensure Gen Z lead a balanced life, physically and mentally. See “On The Negative Side…” below.

They tend to have no physical impediments to friendships, don’t care about colour, foreign nationalities, country boundaries. Gen Z have multinational friends and benefit from the work millennials did inventing apps and finding the best ways to use the internet. Millennials improved everything that the digital world now entails and as always with technology, the improvements will continue.

Apps

The most significant improvement in mobile phone use is the development of Apps, short for ‘Applications’. There are 2.8 million apps available on the Google Play Store, 2.2 million on Apple App Store. Apps allow users to focus on their preferences, such as reading particular newspapers or websites, playing games such as scrabble, chess or overwhelmingly video online games with remote friends or strangers.

Other examples include podcasts, twitter, facebook, multiple weather forecasts, Uber, sports, clubs, music channels, Netflix, Google Maps, Google Pay, various banks, zoom, Skype, Snapchat, kindle, Foxtel Go and countless more. The average smartphone owner uses 30 apps each month.

I often pass a lovely sandstone office in Rozelle, Sydney. As there is no sign outside, I entered one day and asked what business they were in. “We develop Apps” was their answer. No sign or advertising needed as their income is solely from the use of apps remotely from their location. While apps are overwhelmingly free to use, they pay for themselves in custom and advertising.

Graph from Business of Apps

Ever Improving Technology

Most of you will be aware how much easier googling data has become, how more relevant and focused the search results are. How easier it is to maintain contact with family and friends through What’s App, Google Photos, sharing capabilities, etc. To confirm or find any fact, it is now much easier to google it using the mobile, than going to the computer. Almost all activities are easier and more straight forward using apps on a smart mobile than a laptop or tablet.

Generation Z, brought up on their phones are so quick at typing using  just their thumbs. Predictive text (AI learns what to predict from the way you word your previous inputs) is a huge aid. Input is now faster than using voice input on phones or other devices. While older people read newspapers and watch conventional TV, Gen Z gain almost all their news from the net. Entertainment comes from streaming. All this is quick, immediately available and focused. None of this is lost on Gen Z.

Gen Z Trends

62% of Gen Z anticipate challenges working with Baby Boomers and Generation X. Only 5% anticipate challenges working with millennials. All understandable.

Gen Z is not motivated by job titles, but will change roles if it suits them. They have zero interest in climbing the corporate ladder, but they don’t reject leadership altogether. Good research skills, worldly technical know how and independence are characteristics of Gen Z.

Flexible work schedules with a good work life balance, working from home if they want to. They get bored with lengthy documents (who doesn’t?). Instead bosses need to use visual content, engaging presentations, infographics, etc. rather than text only.

Many Gen Z like Snapchat, because they post a huge amount of data which is erased after 24 hours.

Experts Find Gen Z Are:

• Much more tolerant of others – different cultures, sexual orientations, races
• More cautious, less risk taking
• Less drinking and drug taking in high school
• Less likely to go to church
• More likely to think for themselves and not believe authority figures in church or government
• Delaying having serious romantic relationships
• Less teen pregnancy
• Fewer will run away
• Delaying driving, and fewer teen driving accidents
• Less time spent in shopping malls
• Less likely to go out to see a movie
• More likely to use Instagram than Facebook

On The Negative Side, Gen Z Are:

• Less “in person” contact with others, instead connecting via smart phones
• High use of gaming
• Less reading of books and newspapers
• Grew up more supervised, protected than prior generations
• Less experience with teen jobs and earning money in high school
• May stay up till 2 am using smart phone and social media
• Possibly more depressed than prior generations
• Feel more lonely and not needed
• Possibly higher suicide rate

Lists Above from Career Planners Inc.

Jobs For Gen Z

Healthcare and high tech are growing fields now that will continue for decades. So careers in science, engineering, software, and medicine are good. Unfortunately, there won’t be so many jobs for people in English, history, philosophy etc. STEM at work.

Electrical engineering and software engineering look excellent. As does nursing and being a GP. Civil engineering offers fewer jobs as we are building less bridges, roads and buildings. Automotive engineering is tough. Not many jobs long term, except in the electric car field, although maintenance will be low with fewer moving parts, no oil or water change, etc. Jobs done in person such as plumbers, electricians, barbers, beauticians, should still be in demand, although lower paying than jobs requiring a university education. The trades are more stable than many other careers. Print media is declining.

Jobs in sales will continue to shrink. Retails sales jobs will decline if some shopping malls close as online sales increase which is happening quickly now. Sales people in business development and finding new customers will continue. But being a sales person in a shopping mall store is not good long term. Business development and marketing are still good fields, but will see some unexpected changes.

Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) jobs (whatever they are!) will emerge. For example, It seems ridiculous that speakers suffer the jet lag, travel time, cost, etc. for an hour or two of presentation overseas when a hologram could equally do the job. (More in a future blog).

References

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