Millennials feel "stuck” between more fortunate or driven generations, according to research from Randstad.
Nearly four in 10 (38%) Millennials feel their education has left them unprepared for the modern world of work, the research found.
In contrast, the younger Generation Z (born from 1996 onwards) display stronger leadership ambitions, with 84% saying they want to be a leader, compared with 79% of Millennials (those born between 1980 and 1995), also called Generation Y.
Additionally, Generation Z employees are likely to switch employers more regularly than their Millennial counterparts, with 33% of Generation Z planning to stay less than two years at their current company compared with 26% of Millennials. This possibly indicates a higher drive or more commercial mindset, the Randstad research stated.
When it came to measuring success, Millennials place most value on respect and acknowledgement from colleagues (chosen by 22%). The indicator most popular with Generation Z respondents was a promotion (23%).
Mark Bull, UK CEO of Randstad, explained that Millennials sit between two generations who grew up in very different environments.
“Millennials appear to be stuck between the more financially fortunate Generation X, who didn’t need to pay university fees and were able to get onto the property ladder before prices soared, and the digital natives of Generation Z who arguably have a much more vocational and ‘e-commercial’ mindset,” he said.
“As the curriculum has evolved to include lessons on coding and younger people generally understand the commercial potential of the internet, people today are leaving school, college or university with a much clearer idea of who they want to be and what they want to achieve,” he added.
“A fair percentage of Millennials, on the other hand, have racked up thousands in student debt earning academic degrees that are arguably less relevant to the modern workplace. Without the financial advantages of Generation X and perhaps lacking the digital nous of Generation Z it’s no surprise people are calling Millennials the lost generation.”
