impatient? unstable? intolerant? When it comes to the job market, it is not uncommon to hear adjectives like these aimed at young people from Generation Z — formed by people born after 1996. And, most likely, these words come out of the mouths of much more experienced people.
The numbers confirm this scenario. Data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security collected in 2020 point to this generational discrepancy in Brazil: almost a quarter of young people between 18 and 24 years old remain within a company for just under three months (see graph). This group, according to the survey, reaches 2.47 million people in this age group. Then 2.40 million (24.1%) stay for one to just under two years.
Of workers aged 50 to 64, 41.67% (equivalent to 4.26 million people) stay 10 years or more in the same job.
The point is: instead of making a career and seeking the vocation for lifeyoung professionals tend to want a slightly busier career.
This movement is not seen only in Brazil, and has even gained a name: “job hopping ” (job skip, in English translation). In the United States, data from CareerBuilder, an American recruitment and selection platform, show that Generation Z spends, on average, 2 years and 3 months in the same workplace. In Baby Boomers, this average is 8 years and 3 months.
What is the explanation for the data? According to experts consulted by the CNN there are social, economic and behavioral reasons why the number of job-hoppers grew up in the country. Check out:
economic differences
Marco Tulio Zanini, professor at FGV, explains that generations have different historical experiences. Especially for Generation Y in Brazil, that is, those born in the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, had an experience marked by the scarcity of resources and perspectives.
These ended up following a more traditional course of action along the lines of: looking for a career to pursue throughout life, finding a steady job, and staying there until retirement.
In the last generation, things change perspective.
“You look at a country that, today, has a more stable economy and a better job offer, in addition to better jobs for those who are prepared. Individuals can undertake and create their own business, even build a career looking abroad”, says Zanini.
Search for quality of life
Alexandre Pellaes, professor and TedX speaker explains that, traditionally, there are 5 steps in a career. An individual enters a company or makes a certain professional decision with the intention of:
- Learning, to start navigating the professional world;
- Money, sometimes more relevant than learning;
- Status, in the search for a position of differentiated level and for leading people;
- Quality of life, because, after achieving prestige, the professional begins to wonder how to balance responsibilities with life outside of work;
- Impact, thinking about the legacy and the relevance that that work will have for the world and society.
This “ladder”, largely followed by Baby Boomers and Generation X, is questioned by new generations, who are concerned with quality of life and the impact of work since the beginning of their careers.
“Older generations are focused on loyalty, career solidity. It was all very square. Today, with more flexible environments and structures, we are constantly invited to question our own careers”, adds Pellaes.
These differences end up leading to an inevitable generation gap. According to the professor, the older generations think that the younger generations need to “pay a toll” to achieve happiness and professional fulfillment.
These behaviors (and conflicts) transcend all barriers in the lives of these young people, so committed to search for meaning . And, according to experts, the social arrangement allows this: there is no longer the burden on this youth to marry, start a family, have their own house and cars. “The social contracts were made more flexible, giving this generation more freedom”, adds Marco.
shredded resume
By this behavior, can the new generations be harmed in job vacancies and interviews? Are companies already predicting this behavior for younger candidates?
According to Lucas Toledo, executive director of Pagegroup, a British recruitment company, staying at a company for a long time is not necessarily a positive sign when hiring an employee.
“The thing is, nobody delivers anything in a year. It takes time to understand a place, produce value, generate consistent deliveries,” he explains.
Sandra Gioffi, CEO of Trampo é Seu, a startup that operates as a Hub to connect talents from the periphery and the main companies in the country, says that, while a professional spent a short time in the same company, this shredded curriculum allowed him to live more experiences in different cultures and realities.
“The most important thing is the talent of each one, regardless of generation, and the commitment they put into what they do. Being objective, we have to see this movement as natural, or even healthy for all generations”, he concludes.
These behavioral and economic changes, catalyzed by the pandemic, are precursors when thinking about a new work model.
New proposals are already popping up out there — more and more experts and companies are advocating fewer workdays and fewer hours worked. Regarding the 4-day workday, for example, 80% of people interviewed by the financial company Jefferies stated that they would like to work in this model.
“The structure of the work is being updated”, says Alexandre. “With this dissatisfaction with the current model, people will have new models that are more flexible, more humanized, less rigid, which allow them to feel more fulfilled in the positions they occupy”.
For Professor Zanini, the behavior of the generations that have not yet entered the job market depends on the country’s economic stability. “We will have great difficulty retaining qualified labor, because our economy does not show any signs of recovery and robustness”, he says.
Even so, professionals emphasize that the discussion starts from a point of privilege. The data presented do not consider the Brazilian social pyramid in its entirety. While classes with greater economic power have more possibilities to experiment with a career, work can be an opportunity to move socially, bringing respect, status and money to those who do not have the same financial security.
Source: CNN Brasil
Joe Jameson, a technology journalist with over 2 years of experience, writes for top online news websites. Specializing in the field of technology, Joe provides insights into the latest advancements in the industry. Currently, he contributes to covering the world stock market.
