A leading online job portal said that today’s youngest workforce or those who are part of Generation Z are more attracted to project-based jobs and flexible working hours.
JobStreet.com with the help of Kantar TNS conducted a survey from January to March 2019. It found that Filipino jobseekers ages 18-23-years-old value work-life balance more than anything else.
This could be seen in how they prioritize jobs that enable them to diversify their skills and talents and at the same time, let them work autonomously at their own pace and time.
The survey had 18,378 respondents who are active or monitoring jobseekers within the age range of 18 and 65-years-old.
It also considered those who plan to switch jobs within the next two years.
The poll noted that Generation Z jobseekers are “more keen on furthering their skills and broadening their horizons” rather than look for jobs for the sake of money or compensation.
“Work-life balance and a more flexible schedule is also something they place great importance in,” JobStreet.com Philippines country manager Philip Gioca said.
An in-depth look at what drives Generation Z workers to seek jobs that enable them to practice work-life balance makes them choose jobs with flexible working hours.
Interestingly, they also prefer project-based jobs in terms of job security. They are more attracted to part-time positions where they are paid on an hourly rate, compared to millennials—workers ages 24 to 34-years-old—who want a permanent position.
‘Better working environments’
Flexible hours
Younger talents are more concerned with shaping their jobs to their daily lives instead of sticking to the traditional 9-to-5 in office cubicles or workspaces.
“That could mean working remotely or shifting hours when needed,” an article from The New York Times said.
It also noted that young employees claim they are able to “work more and more efficiently” when presented with flexible schedules instead of letting them stick to a fixed timetable.
The article explained that it might have to do with technology and how young employees are utilizing it.
“Technology is a big reason for the change. The youngest people entering the workforce don’t remember a time when people weren’t always reachable, so they don’t see why they would need to sit in an office to work,” it said.
Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a professor emerita of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, believes that flexibility can be attributed to young workers’ desire for “better working environments.”
“Rather than being tied to the desk, they want to take the desk with them, working from home to accommodate personal and family schedules, but also getting the job done as demanded by the task,” she said in a column at Psychology Today.
Project-based
Generation Z workers are also on the lookout for project-based employment instead of regular jobs. These types of work could be considered freelance.
According to Forbes, young workers are more attracted to freelance jobs since it gives them “more choice and flexibility,” as well as “greater variety.”
It also gives them more control over their workload since they have the choice to accept or decline a project based on their own preferences.
“As a freelance worker, you can control your workload. While client demands can, at times, dictate your schedule, you can turn away work during busy times or accept more work during lean times,” an article from The Balance Careers said.
These types of workers are also spared from office politics and drama that adds stress to their overall well-being.
“You are not required to attend time-wasting meetings or cut through bureaucratic red tape to gain the tools you need to do your job,” the article added.
