Gen-Z Wants to Work and You Won’t Let Them: A Report into Generational Motivations and Soft Skill Developments for the Workplace

‘Gen – Z are an employer’s worst nightmare’. That’s what I was hit with one morning when I first opened The Telegraph app one morning. In the article, the journalist goes into detail about the near exploitation she received during her 20’s in her respective field.  While I felt a slither of sympathy for her, I was then hit with the sheer abhorrence to Gen-Z and their work ethics. This led me think, what is this distaste for Gen-Z and where could it derive from?  

From an outsider perspective, Gen-Z should tick all the boxes; internet savvy, politically aware and most importantly (according to the UK government) have a degree. But this isn’t the only article I’ve seen written like this. So where does this distaste derive from? In a different article, a particular quote stood out to me, noting that:  

            Many young workers are barely able to get through an interview, are unwilling to             pick up the phone and have even ghosted their new companies completely on the first          day of their jobs, according to exasperated employers.’ 

Charlotte Gill 

Though my initial resistance to this critique of Gen-Z, one cannot deny the truth that it holds. The current job market landscape has changed significantly over the last decade where we have ‘recognise[d] the importance of soft skills, the role education plays in developing those skills, and the way they evolve throughout the life cycle’ [Kyllonen, P.22] and yet, this is missing from the education that Gen-Z has received.  

From the education reformation in the 90s, there has been a shift toward needing a degree as a requirement in the job market, with Gen Z and the latter half of millennials being the first generation to go through higher education as the norm. According to the UK government there were approximately 2.94 million students in higher education in 2022/23 with 758,000 applicants for higher education in 2024, which 565,00 were accepted. With this education reform, however, it is important to note that Department for Education announced that ‘graduates earn an average of £100,000 more over their lifetime that non-graduates, underlining the continued value of a university degree to employers and learners alike’. From this, Gen-Z should be seen as a ‘value’ to employers, however, this article suggests this is not the case.

It is agreeable that a degree is useful for prospective candidates as it shows the required knowledge, or the “hard skills” for said role, but encouraging 18-year-olds, fresh out of A-levels to head straight to university is a missed opportunity to develop needed soft skills and work experience that a workplace is looking for, thus leading older generations to believe that ‘Gen-Z is an employer's worse nightmare’.  This report will look at this disconnect between generations in the workplace and how Gen-Z turned in to this ‘nightmare’.

The Higher Education Act of 1992 and the Introduction of New Norms 

As established before, there seems to be an educational norm of going to university after A-levels which has spilled into criteria for jobs as well. One of the key turning points for this ‘norm’ was the push from New Labour in the early 2000s. Alan Ryan (Emeritus Professor of Politics) explains that ‘the two labour governments [had] thought that a higher proportion of young people attending HEIs (higher education institutes) were vital for the economy … this is a very old story’. Although he initially shut down this claim, there is still a political focus on higher education reinforcing this idea that a degree is not just desirable but necessary, which was stated in 2005.  

Before this, the groundwork was already being laid for this transformation. This critical shift came from the introduction of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992:  

The Further and Higher Education Act of 1992 removed the structural distinctions between the two sectors of higher education by giving degree-awarding powers to the polytechnics and permitting them to use the title of university 

Welch, P. 107 

By allowing polytechnics to use the title of university in turn nearly doubled the number of degree-granting bodies in the UK. The UK went from 46 to 84 institutes in 1992, that’s 38 institutes immediately taking on the title of university. For example, the Woolwich Polytechnic is now the University of Greenwich, This in turn established widespread availability for a university degree for prospective attendees, this includes not having to leave home in order to obtain a university degree.  Additionally, this act also restructured funding by creating the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) and taking away the control of these institutes out of local government control and giving them to a sector of government.

In May of 1996, after this spike in university attendees, the Labour government set up the National Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education and from this, they ‘established nine principles [to] regard’ [Welch, P.108]. Three of which was ‘maximum participation in higher education’, ‘diversity of potential students’ and ‘contributing to economic growth’ [Welch, P.108]. The need for ‘maximum participation’ and ‘contributing to economic growth’ relates to what Alan Ryan was trying to state, even though ‘this is a very old story’ that doesn’t work. Again, we are seeing the alignment of a university degree and political focus, but more importantly the hopeful impact it may have on the economy.  Whilst at the same time, higher education began being sold more explicitly as a means of getting a job. However, this narrow focus misses what employers also look for, the soft skills, the ability to adapt or communicate.

The impact of shift in degree holders is reflected in the data in The House of Commons Library. It shows the little growth of higher education institutes from the 1920s and through World War Two. Post 1945 we see a few government schemes for those who served in the military to receive degrees. The 1960s saw a major expansion with graduate numbers doubling within seven years, this may be connected to ‘the reorganisation of the secondary sector’ [Bolton, P.10] where the age of school leavers upped to 16- to 17-year-olds, which could suggest the want for further education or higher education in these students. This can also be seen in the spike or ‘estimated output’ [Bolton, P.12] of students completing A-levels around this time.  

However, ultimately it was the 1992 reorganisation that led to the most dramatic spike. Not only was there a in spike of students completing their A-levels in the late 80s to early 90s with only 10% of students in 1989 leaving with 3+ A-levels to just over 20% in 1994 achieving the same.  As new institutions gained university status and began awarding degrees, the number of degrees conferred doubled. By 2000, higher education participation in the UK had climbed 33%, up from just 3.4% in 1950. Meaning that for Millennials and Gen Z, the path of going to University and earning a degree was now established as the “normal route” in life, and they had to navigate it.  

The Current Landscape of Higher Education: The Established New Norm  

As stated before, there were approximately 2.94 million students enrolled in higher education institutes in 2022/23, which on paper shows a thriving academic sector stemming from the education reform from the 90s but in reality, it is much more complicated.  

When looking at these statistics, the number of applicants through UCAS (the UK’s higher education application portal) hit record high numbers consistently from 2020 – 2022, as this was peak COVID-era, you could say that this was because the economic slowdown that took over the UK pushed more people into higher education. In a world that felt paused, it would make sense that university would seem like safe or even “productive” way to wait it out. However, by 2023, applications fell by nearly 10,00, dropping to 757,000, with 550,000 being accepted [Bolton]. While this is still a high number of applicants, the decrease is symbolic after such high numbers in previous years.  

When looking at the today’s student dynamic, most full- time students are pursuing their first degrees with ‘proportionately more overseas students studying postgraduate courses’ [Bolton]. Although this can show the UK’s academic reputation abroad, you can’t look past the financial desirability of postgraduate students studying abroad as international students often pay higher fees to attend. This links to what Ganicott suggests: ‘many UK universities hoping that a trend of increasing international enrolments will improve their financial position’ [Ganicott, P.36]. Would this make international students more desirable to universities? Higher education funding is now in the hands of the government after all. This would make them more desirable to universities, especially if postgraduate courses are on the decline. Having Higher Education placed in the hands of the government has established and focused on financial gain has situated itself as a marketplace, like students are almost shopping for degrees, and the main issue with marketplaces is keeping up with market demand, what’s new or interesting.  

While these first time, full-time student numbers are skyrocketing, the numbers on Higher Education Student Numbers, show the number of students entering ‘other undergraduate’ [Bolton] courses are declining, falling by ‘almost two-thirds’ [Bolton] over 15 years. These courses are overwhelmingly made up of the part-time UK students, many of whom would be older or juggling other responsibilities like child-care or jobs. The collapse of this route is significant as it highlights the decrease of people from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing higher education at all.  

This connects to Ryan’s previous point of social mobility when it comes to earning a degree, he defines it as such:  

‘Social mobility for these purposes is defined in terms of the odds a child is born to one social and income quintile fetching up in a different quintile in their middle years; perfect mobility would mean the destination of class was statistically independent of the starting class’  

Ryan, P.88  

By this standard, the reach for social mobility is unattainable. The cost of attending university has constantly increased since 1998 where is started at just £1000 a year. In 2006 in tripled to £3,000 a year and by 2012 it tripled again to £9,000. This increase was due to the surge of university attendees after the establishment of Higher Education Act: ‘higher education institutions would not get the funds they needed to educate a bigger proportion of the 18-30-year-old age group, unless they were prepared to charge tuition fees of up to £3000 for each year of a full-time course to home and EU undergraduates’ [Welch,P.110]. So, not only did the expansion of higher education work in terms of numbers, it was also at the expense of the student themselves.  

 Welch suggested that in 1986 (just before the educational reform) Kenneth Baker referred to widening the access to higher education and that ‘if student loans were introduced [because of this new access], then perhaps employers could pay them off on behalf of graduate employees who would, in return, get lower salaries’ [Welch, P.103] So, with the rising costs, it is not just narrowing choices for prospective students, it’s reinforcing a socioeconomic status quo, again, at the expense of the student themselves.  Higher education should be a equaliser but this system seems to only work best for people within an upper ‘quintile’ [Ryan, P.88].  

Since 2006, there has been a steady climb in 18-year-olds heading into higher education. Starting at 24.7% and peaking at 38.2% in 2021 but declining in 2023 to 35.8%. These stats don’t exist in isolation. They come at a time when students face record-high tuition fees and rising living costs with the lingering effects of a global pandemic when it comes to learning experiences. The fact the NSS results show that the student satisfaction rates have remained static of ‘86% this year, same as last year’ [Collinson] may show that higher education institutes have manged to hold steady through this, or students are simply lowering their expectations. But the most damning statistic may be that ‘49% of graduates believe they could have reached their current career status without a degree’ [Collinson].  

The Influences of the Workplace and Previous Generations  

To first understand these complaints against Gen-Z in university or the workplace, we must first investigate the generation who employ them, Generation X or early Millennials, and how they worked. In 2006, a study by Yang and Guy explored what motivates Gen Xers in the workplaces compared to their previous generation, Baby Boomers and found that the differences in either generational workforce derives from how they were raised and what they experience, they establish these as ‘key influences’. They found three key influences on how people behave in the workplace, noting that:  

Experiencing different historical, social, and educational conditions during formative years is thought to influence the way people view, perceive, and interpret their environment, including their work environment.  

Guy & Yang, P. 271 

As an example of the ‘social’ condition, they say that Gen Xers ‘continuous use of information technology promoted [their] expectations of freedom and flexibility in the workplace’ [Guy & Yang, P.271]. This fosters a strong expectation for autonomy and access to their own decision making. This was then compared to the generation that experienced the Great Depression and how that historical and social condition now has ‘an influence on that generation’s economic and social behaviour’ [Guy & Yang, P.268] noting that generation craved more stability in jobs (as they witnessed first-hand how quickly the global economy can crash) when compared with the work-to-life ratio Gen Xers expect. These values, voluntary or not, would have influence how their employees – Generation Z – would not only view the workplace, but also how the employers would view Gen –Z ‘s behaviour, which is seen in the article at the start. You would think to expect a shared understanding of generational differences, but this doesn’t seem to align when it comes to Gen-Z.  At one point in the article, it notes that Gen-Z is ‘good with technology, but not good with life skills’ [Gill], but it’s not until the end where she offers a shred of reasoning as to why.

These foundational influences are crucial when analysing the criticisms of Gen Z’s behaviours in today’s workforce. Just as the Great Depression affected the emotional and financial mindset of a certain generation, Gen – Z’s formative years were introduced with the wildly recorded 9/11 terror attack, watching their parents through the 2008 financial crisis and having their crucial educational years altered by the COVID – 19 pandemic, and that’s before considering the constant access to global rising tensions through a social media. This generation has experienced constant access to major instability and rapid change, either with the economy, socially or technologically, all through a smart phone with 24-hour access. This subsequently affected their approach to work. In a recent Forbes, they noted that ‘members of [Gen-Z] gravitate toward organisations that invest in their professional growth through comprehensive training, mentorship programs and other educational initiatives’ [Choughari], meaning that without these opportunities for growth, they are more likely to move on to a different company, theretofore resulting the rise of “portfolio careers”.  

In their most formative years, late teenagerhood to young adulthood, they also had their ‘social condition’ stripped away from them due to the COVID – 19 pandemic and the lockdowns that swept through the UK.  The isolating remote education they went through, regarded in light of Guy and Yang’s theory of influence in the workplace, stripped Gen Z of social and educational conditions. This removal of expected social and educational foundational influences had a huge effect on the soft skills of a university graduate entering the workforce. This is critical in understanding the development of soft skills as they are usually developed through social and educational engagement. By not having the traditional schooling, they missed out on in-person collaboration or the ‘life skills’ that the article states they are missing.

For this report, my definition will coincide with Garcia-Chitivia's, noting that: ‘soft skills are related to intra and interpersonal characteristics, including but not limited to self-control, persistence, leadership, or teamwork’ [Garcia-Chitivia, P. 957] who then later goes on to say the development of these soft skills are relevant to getting a job or a promotion as these skills ‘shows an individual’s critical thinking, teamwork, and valuable social interaction, involving both intra- and inter-personal abilities’ [Garcia-Chitivia, P.959].  

However, in contrast to this, Kyllonen states that these skills are derived ‘from innate ability, education (e.g., years in school, quality of schooling)’ [Kyllonen, P. 19]. When taking bothin perspective into account, it becomes clear that Gen-Z has been doubly impacted. Firstly, by the reduced formal education and secondly, by a loss of informal development of soft skills. But as previously stated, the Gen-Zers entering the workforce today were stripped of this, thus losing both one influence and also needed soft skills within the workplace.  

The Problem with going to university at 18  

Since this establishment in the new normality of achieving a degree, it has caused rising issues among these freshly turned 18-year-olds. Before even heading to university, sixth formers are relentlessly hounded by teachers or teaching staff about going into higher education despite that not being able fully aware of the implications of this.  

There is a concern with the establishment of university turning into a “traditional path” right out of education, more specifically sixth form. This pressure for students to apply for university often stems from their educational institutions promoting higher education for their own personal gain. This can be widely seen on any sixth form website. For example, just looking at any randomly selected sixth form websites, I’ve found ‘75% of our Year 13 leavers go to study at University’ at the top of their Sixth Form website or ‘The large majority of our students go on to attend their first choice University, most of which are Russel Group Universities’ on another. On the website of the biggest sixth form college in Bedfordshire, the welcome page tagline is ‘81% of our students who go to university go on to achieve either a first-class degree or a 2:1’. These numbers being so easily found on these websites further push students to go to university before even starting at said sixth form.    

Before students even join this sixth form, they are hounded with the idea of going to university and that’s before considering the reputational value on the schools that have a high percentage of students going to university. This high percentage would reflect positively on any Ofsted reports or on any league tables, which on paper looks great for the institution, understandably, but it shows the prioritisation of the school’s image more than the individuals student’s needs. On top of this, it also drives the fact that a degree is needed for the workplace at a young age. Additionally, on the UK Government website, they call A levels ’central to the academic route, which is intended to lead to higher education study at university’ [Lewis], as of November 2024, further reinforcing the establishment of higher education.  

Degree regret is becoming increasingly common, with many students realising mid-way or even after graduating that their chosen subject doesn’t align with their interests or career goals. In 2016, Aviva conducted a survey on millennials and the rising cost of living that was increasing throughout the UK. With millennials being the first generation to go through university after it being established as the ‘norm’, we are seeing the results of this establishment. This survey found that ‘37% of ex-students [regret going to university] while 49% believe they could have got to where they are now without it’ with nearly half stating they would’ve been fine career wise without a degree.  

This in turn, leads to disinterested faces in lecture halls or students not utilising the facilities higher education institutes have to offer. The passion and energy that should categorise higher education are replaced by students simply going through the motions, fulfilling the new academic requirements for a degree they just deem as a requirement though.  

And for what? To then enter the oversaturated job market. What was once seen as a ticket to a secure future now often leads to underemployment or roles unrelated to their field of study. This takes us back to the initial article I found at the beginning. We read about her near exploitation in the workplace, whereas Gen-Z have gone through a near exploitation of education, funded by a government that simply wanted to boost the economy on the expense of the newly graduated, which in turn lead to this expectation of careers and salaries.  

In a 2011, a study was conducted about the overestimation of starting salaries amongst graduates, shows this theory already coming to fruition:  

‘Yet there has been growing unease in the UK about the quality of information, advice and guidance that teenagers receive, and that young people may not fully understand the prospects they will have upon entry into the youth labour market’ 

Jerrim, P. 484  

After the establishment of higher education being the “norm” only being in the late 90s, less than 15 years later, there have been holes being poked in the integration of this “norm” within UK students. In this study, Jerrim looks at 3,548 responses of recently graduated students and their salary expectations after university.   This creates a vicious cycle. Students unclear of what they want, can’t get a job, head for a masters. It’s a reality that challenged the traditional narrative of university as the ultimate path to success and calls for a serious re-evaluation of how we guide young people through their educational choices.  

Motivations and Understanding Others 

In an Indian study from 2015, research further supports this point about these foundational influences stating that both ‘generation X and generation Y are more individualistic and independent compared to baby boomers’ [Dokadia, P.84], a trait that was passed down to Gen Z. This study was to empirically examine ‘the difference in work attributes and intrinsic and extrinsic motivations among four generations (baby boomers, silent generation, generation x and generation y)’ [Dokadia et al, P. 81] with 653 respondents working in a multitude of different establishments. This study concludes with:  

Deep understanding of generations may lead to socio-cultural linkages of differences between generations, managers can develop relevant policies and improve retention, engagement and performance or the employees. It is a useful step in meeting diverse need of different generations. This strategy can help the organisations to attract talented younger employees  

Dokadia et all, P.94 

By having a deeper understanding of each generation and their lived experiences, employers/ managers will be able to recognise their employer’s approach to work and their expectation of experiencing work settings. For example, after the rise of remote working from home throughout lockdown and the COVID - 19 pandemic (something the last 4 generations have experienced) has simultaneously led to a rise in either hybrid work, remote jobs and a realisation that jobs no longer have to be a lifelong commitment. The concluding sentence, however, is impactful. ‘This strategy can help the organisations to attract talented younger employees’ [Dokadia et all, P. 94] and yet, paradoxically, this same generational difference is often used against Gen-Z in today’s workforce.

That’s not to say that the ‘intrinsic and extrinsic motivations’ motivations for Gen-Z are ones to brush over, this is in fact the opposite. As established, the want to stay in the same job or company is lost on Gen-Z as they value the love of job more. When looking at Gen-Z and work motivations, they lean more heavily on their intrinsic motivations more, things like work-to-life balance or the enjoyment of the role are placed higher than the salary.  

Looking at the generational differences between the workforce is to establish that it can’t be a generational divide. It could point towards Gen-Z having their foundational influences stripped away and therefore a lack of soft skills developing. This then puts them at a disadvantage if there is rise in remote/hybrid work or lack of commitment to one job for life. Soft skills are needed for this flexibility. Portfolio careers are built around communication, and it seems like their formative educational years may be a factor into their lack of such.

Universities play a foundational role in shaping the professional identity of students. They are in a unique position where they can both develop the “hard skills” that the job market so needs but are also able to foster the development of “soft skills” as well. Rather than treating soft skills secondary, universities can embed them into the curriculum instead of solely on the careers service. Additionally, career services could expand in to helping students reflect on their personal strengths, especially in the case of students who went to university right after A-levels.

Conclusion

The claim that ‘Gen-Z are an employer’s worst nightmare’ may generate clicks and controversy, but it fails to consider the complex, formative experiences that shapes this generation’s approach to work. While talks of missed interviews or lack of communication are agreeable, they must be understood in a broader context.

Rather than viewing Gen-Z through a lens of frustration, employers and educators alike must shift. By aligning workplace expectations with generational realities and investing in those soft skills, either by higher education or the employer, there is hope for a widespread understanding across all generations, an understanding where Gen-Z won’t be classes as a ‘nightmare’.

Project Justification 

For my project, I wanted to critique the norm or the need to go to university pushed on students by either their further education institution or the UK government. Something that universities miss, to no fault of their own, after the establishment of university as the normal route. The more I thought about the skills needed in the workplace, the more the more you realise that pushing an 18-year-old in to a degree is a missed opportunity, especially the Covid generation who had their formative years in lockdown.  

This is personal to me as before I went to university after 4 years of working full time and working my up to management and to me, it felt like I was doing something wrong. Additionally, I didn’t complete A-levels, I did an Extended Level 3 Diploma (3 A-levels equivalent) so I missed all the talk and push about university, instead I got the opposite, I had my course leader telling us not to go straight to university, clearly, I held those words close to me.  But what I did see at this time were my friends pushed into university, some with many regrets about the location, courses and the financial aspect. 

When doing my work placement with The Borgen Project, I was given the opportunity to blend my hard skills that I had learnt at university (I.e. researching, analysing sources, and then writing in clear and coherent fashion) and the soft skills I had learnt when working, as stated by Levasseur:  

A useful way of classifying soft skills, consistent with the definitions in the literature, is: (1) personal (e.g., self-awareness), (2) interpersonal (e.g., communication), (3) group (e.g., collaboration), and (4) organizational (e.g., leadership).  

Levasseur, P. 566 

This got me thinking, are the students heading into higher education missing out on these soft skills? The thought of going to university to get a job right after is pushed down on these young adults with no thought in to how they will respond to the workforce around them. 

 I gained from working into something I am passionate about, journalism. I then realised, the more we push young people to go into degrees its harder to fill those gaps that are needed in the workplace. The “soft skills” that aren’t associated with an academic setting.  

Bibliography 

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