June 2nd, 2023
Launched after the 4th edition of EBcon, our regional conference for Employer Branding, and the results of the Most Desired Employers 2023 survey, the study Generation Z Behavior on the Romanian Labour Market in 2023, powered by Catalyst Solutions, consists of comprehensive views on the current labour market. Generation Z is the primary focus, since it makes up the latest wave of young professionals, aged 1997-2012, entering the workforce. It is a generation which has never known life without technology at their fingertips.
Employers who are prepared to provide a positive and rewarding work experience on a daily basis, are able to welcome these younger workers. They are driven by a strong sense of security, concerning money and benefits, and they work even the extra hours, if they are going to be rewarded.
But what kind of behaviors Gen Z show when looking for a professional program or a job?
Through this exthausive study, we aimed to survey potential candidates and managed to answer several questions on the aspirations and needs regarding the development of their future career.
Our findings depend on 751 of Gen Z Romanian candidates, still studying at university or recently graduated in the fields of business, technical and socio-humanist, who participated in our survey between February and April 2023.
We asked Gen Z, and they answered to some of the questions that are of main interest for companies looking to change demographics using new employee engagement tactics.
Gen Z more likely to engage in an internship than a entry level part time job?
While a full time position is still the highest desired by candidates because of a professional and financial peace of mind, the possibility of long-term accurate budgeting, paid leave and career advancement opportunities, the surprising battle for second most desired option is between internships and entry level part-time jobs.
The benefits of a part time job:
• maintain a career path with no resume gaps when a full time job is not in the cards, since candidates can still keep a network, and be up to date with trends.
• better work-life balance, because there is still time to perform other personal hobbies and passions
• supplemental income, in case of unexpected financial hiccups
• skill set enhancement, flexibility in discovering other areas of interest, not being limited to a single career
• just a steppingstone to a full-time position, they demonstrate their value within the company until a position becomes available
But there are many cons to a part time job:
• lack of benefits (no eligibility)
• being surrounded by stigma of an “unimportant position”
• overwork to keep up with full-time employees
• lower income
• few or no advancement opportunities.
All in all part time jobs are equally advantageous and disadvantageous, where flexibility and no career gaps are serious considerents for candidates. But why are internships better and ranking as the second-best option?
Internships can help students apply learnings from university in real world settings. Building on professional skills and on an extensive contact list can help tremendously post-graduation.
On the downside, internships may or may not guarantee an income, and the application process is usually more competitive.
The takeaway from this is that Gen Z behavior might have a tendency towards better learning experiences in a real world setting with a lot of constructive feedback during an internship, than have a low income with no nurturing at the workplace, only to pay school fees and living expenses.
Gen Z want busy summers career-wise!
When asked about an ideal period to start a professional program/job, university students and graduates gravitated the summer months, and including September, before a university year usually begins in Romania.
For many, this season doesn’t represent the right time to take a mental vacation from their job search. Even so, this is a period when a lot of employers are out of office and on vacation, and the hiring process will take longer.
In the meantime, strategic job searching is the best option:
• market research (what companies, or areas of expertise are they targeting?)
• branding (how can they develop a personal brand to boost their employment rate?)
• networking (who can help them get a foot in the door?)
This is a preparation for fall search. But companies should focus on providing professional programs during the summers. Internships and part-time job offers are both good options to access a pool of talent, that will be trained for full-time positions, moving forward.
These are just a few from the set of questions we asked Gen Z regarding their behaviors and aspirations related to their career paths and within the workplace.
We invite you to check out the ebook for the whole study, that is available to download here!
For additional information about our projects & services, drop us a line at angajatori@catalyst.ro
