Preparing Your Workplace for Gen Z Talent
Gen Z is now a major part of the UK’s early-career workforce. This summary of Step’s report covers what this generation wants from work and practical ways your business can attract and keep them.
Download the full report (pdf)
TL;DR: Step’s report projected that Gen Z, born 1997–2012, would make up around a third of the UK workforce by 2025. Its research suggests most of what this generation wants (flexibility, purpose, mental health support, and clear growth paths) is increasingly shared across every generation in the workforce, not unique to the newest arrivals.
Who Is Gen Z, and What Do They Actually Want?
Around 12 million people in the UK fall into this generation. 85% prefer hybrid or remote work, 77% want an employer whose values align with their own, and 83% prioritise diversity and inclusion when choosing where to work.
Key takeaway: These preferences are strong in Gen Z, but they’re not exclusive to Gen Z; dissatisfaction with vague job descriptions or unclear growth opportunities shows up across age groups.
Does Gen Z Really Want to Start Their Own Business?
58% of Gen Z respondents said they aspired to start their own business at some point, reflecting a broader entrepreneurial streak in this generation that employers can tap into by offering genuine creative ownership and room for innovation within a role.
Key takeaway: Framing a role around meaningful contribution and creative input, not just a job description, resonates particularly well with this generation.
Why Does Flexibility Matter So Much to This Generation Specifically?
Many of today’s graduates had part or all of their university experience shaped by remote learning during the Covid pandemic, which has carried through into an expectation of flexibility as a baseline rather than a perk.
Key takeaway: Rather than treating flexible working as a negotiation, consider building genuinely collaborative arrangements around it from the outset, since this cohort has never known anything else.
How Should Employers Actually Attract and Retain This Talent?
Step’s guidance centres on five actions: engaging early through university partnerships and placements, aligning with an authentic (not performative) brand, clearly showcasing values like sustainability and inclusion, meeting candidates on the digital platforms they actually use, and keeping recruitment communication transparent and two-way.
Key takeaway: None of these five actions require large budgets; they require consistency and authenticity more than spend.
What’s Coming Next for Graduate Hiring?
The whitepaper predicts a continued shift toward skills-based hiring over formal qualifications, deeper integration of AI training into onboarding, growing weight placed on sustainability credentials, and recruitment strategies that stay agile in response to economic and policy shifts, such as the UK government’s 2024 announcement that the apprenticeship levy would be replaced with a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy.
Key takeaway: Assessing candidates on demonstrated skills rather than background, grades, or where they studied is described as both fairer and more effective at identifying overlooked talent.
FAQs
Q: Is Gen Z really that different from millennials at work? Based on this research, less than headlines suggest. Most of the specific preferences highlighted (flexibility, purpose, mental health support) are described as resonating across generations, not just Gen Z.
Q: Do we need to overhaul our entire culture to attract Gen Z? Not necessarily. The report frames this as refining authenticity and communication rather than a wholesale cultural rebuild.
Q: What’s a low-cost first step for a small business? Reviewing how clearly your job descriptions communicate growth opportunities and values, since unclear communication on both fronts is flagged as a dissatisfaction driver across all age groups, not just younger candidates.
Article produced by Step Recruitment Limited | www.step.org.uk
