Why Gen Z Is Being Branded As The Most "Unemployable Generation"

Employers face a new challenge with Gen Z in the workplace. According to a 2023 study conducted by ResumeBuilder, 1,344 hiring managers from 966 companies were surveyed and 74% believed Gen Z to be the most challenging generation to work with.

6 out of 10 of those employers let go a recent college graduate within the first year of their job. The reasons cited for firing them included frequent job-hopping (39%) and a perceived sense of entitlement (34%). They also found Gen Z "unprofessional', "unmotivated", and "lacking in communication and teamwork skills."

ResumeBuilder's Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller shared that COVID-19 made it more difficult for the generation to learn essential employment skills.

Haller said, “Many Gen Zers spent their college years predominantly in remote or hybrid settings, and upon entering the workforce, they often started in remote roles. This departure from the traditional in-person learning environment impacted their ability to hone crucial skills, such as effective communication, handling constructive criticism and observing others to build their professional acumen."

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By 2025, Gen Z will make up over 25% of the workforce and a formidable one, reported the World Economic Forum. The young adults are proficient with a wide range of technology, such as social media, software, and artificial intelligence. Businesses and their managers need to figure out how to manage and train this expanding group.

“Recognising the unique challenges that Gen Zers face in assimilating into a company's culture is the initial step to effectively hiring this generation,” Stacie Haller said. 

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The assimilation of this generation into the workforce is a challenge but organisations are willing to take the risk and looking for solutions as growing pressures and requirements begin to surmount.

Many businesses are now giving mentorship programs for new hires to overcome these obstacles, and more are beginning to offer etiquette training to build healthy working environments and bonds between employers and their Gen Z employees.