Entry-level job openings are shrinking. That's not just a problem for Gen Z.
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- Some Gen Z workers are finding it hard to get into the workforce due to the demands of "entry-level" jobs.
- Leaders should value Gen Z's creativity and entrepreneurialism, not base decisions on "young-ism."
- Zoomers can push back against stereotypes by going into the office and listening to older colleagues.
Plenty of entry-level jobs are no longer entry-level.
Mona Mourshed, the CEO of the employment nonprofit Generation, said many employers are now looking for two to three years of work experience for such roles.
"Job vacancies are down for entry-level roles, and that's true across the world," she told Business Insider. "Then, on top of it, to get those job vacancies, hiring requirements have gone up."
Labor market commentators previously told BI there's a surplus of available workers, and this is only getting more true asΒ highly skilled employees are being laid offΒ from the likes of Meta, GoogleΒ β and the federal government.
The "unbossing" of the workplaceΒ is also likely a factor, with millennial middle managers being squeezed out in the "Great Flattening" and wading into the hiring pool. Without these people in companies and mentoring junior employees, more experience is necessary for new hires to thrive.
The group most likely to be affected is Gen Z β the youngest cohort of workers, which is also set to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030.
Making it harder for young workers to find jobs could be short-sighted. "They tend to be entrepreneurial in spirit, they collaborate with their peers, and they embrace diversity," said Stephanie Chung, JetSuit's former president and the author of "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You."
"The older generations need to come to grips that there are many ways to achieve the goal and that their way of working is one way," she told BI. "It's not the only way. "
Mourshed said most entry-level roles are not what they used to be: "When you went through a training, or you have a degree or a certificate, and you're seeking to get your first work experience β that's gone."
'Young-ism' on the rise
There are many influences at play, including negative stereotypes about Gen Z's work ethic and the balance tipping in favor of employers, making room for experienced talent over "underperformers."
Jennifer Moss, a workplace culture strategist and author of "WHY ARE WE HERE?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants," told BI that "young-ism" is on the rise.
Gen Zers are sometimes labeled difficult, demanding, and even weird in interviews. Many are fed up with work and don't want to climb the corporate ladder, thinking the juice isn't worth the squeeze.
Some attribute this to the pandemic and being stuck at home in some of their most formative years. Moss thinks Gen Zers actually became more ambitious after lockdowns and now seek lives with purpose.
"This can be a great driver of engagement and lots of really positive business outcomes," she said.
Chung said employees hiring for entry-level roles should consider Gen Z's positives, such as their ability to think outside the box, courage to take calculated risks, and that they are "super collaborators."
"These folks collaborate on everything from school projects, to slaying dragons while immersed in a fictitious game," she said. "Gen Z sees collaborating as a way of life β they don't know anything different."
Leaders create a company's culture, so they need to address workplace disengagement, said Leena Rinne, a VP at online learning platform Skillsoft.
"Feeling that Gen Z doesn't have a work ethic, that they're entitled, that they lack motivation β those can be addressed through leadership," she told BI. "If we believe those are learnable skills, then as an organization, as leaders, we should be investing in Gen Z to actually be able to do it."
Forging connections
Gen Zers can fight back against negative stereotypes, by realizing that technology cannot replace experience, Chung said.
Older generations have significant knowledge "that doesn't always get captured by computers," she said.
Going to the office more often is another good idea, in Chung's view, given the opportunities for forging connections and ad-hoc learning.
"Sometimes simply being present can lead to impromptu conversations that may enhance your thinking or change the trajectory of your career," she said.
Chung thinks workers should ask what they can gain from interacting with those outside their cohort. "Everyone can learn something from anyone if they're willing to try. All generations add value to a company βΒ how do we both win?"
