Gen Y & Z career trends in the workplace

Youth employee in the workplace Gen Y Gen Z
Why it’s never too late to plan a new career trajectory

With the state of the workplace in constant change, what are the future career trends for Gen Y and Gen Z job seekers?

There are three main factors influencing career trends, which are:

  • The impact of emerging technologies
  • Older workers retiring
  • Jobs and industries becoming obsolete as new ones are created.

Staying ahead of new career trends is important in a dynamic, modern and fast-paced career journey.

How Careers are Evolving for Gen Y / Z

The future is bright for young workers, with new jobs emerging that didn’t even exist a few years ago. Whilst technology may be threatening and disrupting many industries, others are experiencing record growth, with exciting new career opportunities. Health, education, business and ICT industries are some of the least likely to be affected by new technologies, due to the need for human interaction and highly skilled professionals in those roles.

The good news is you don’t have to do a lengthy and expensive degree to benefit from these industry career trends.
Career pathways are more flexible, accessible and rewarding than ever:

Importance of Upskilling While Young

Gen Y and Z will have increasingly important workplace roles in the next decade. As Gen X retires, younger employees will be given more responsibility and a chance to accept management roles in their chosen fields. Over 60% of both Gen Y and Z are keenly interested in taking up leadership positions ((Harvard Business Review, 2017)) therefore, the need for younger workers to upskill leadership skills now is paramount. Rather than being intimidated, regard this trend as a fantastic opportunity to progress in your career and increase your income.

Employees working together upskilling for career

On the Job vs Formal Training – Why not have both?

On the job training is extremely useful, however if you’re serious about stepping up to a senior role, completing formal training will give you a confident edge in the highly competitive world of work. CAL offers online courses which can be undertaken alongside your current work and family commitments. Paired with on the job training, it’s the ideal way to improve your skillset and learn more about your chosen field in preparation for your next big career step.

Good or Bad? Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Gen Y / Z

Artificial Intelligence AI used in the workplace in future

AI is already present in factories, supermarkets and on our roads. There’s no doubt AI will become even more widely used in the future, causing many young workers to be worried that it will make their roles redundant. Current research shows that 70% of young people will be affected by AI in the future, however it has also been found that AI will produce over 500,000 more new jobs than it will make redundant. ((Forbes, January 2018))
Despite fears that AI will increase future job redundancy, it has been found that in fact AI will provide 500,000 new jobs for young people. (Forbes, 2018) Click To Tweet

AI will create new opportunities in the workforce for Gen Z and Gen Y, it’s just up to you to take advantage of them. Highly skilled workers who have strong problem solving and relationship management skills are the least likely to be affected by the introduction of AI. Therefore, developing these soft-skills now is vitally important. Alongside this, building competencies around the use of AI is incredibly useful, after all, someone needs to manage and maintain these systems. Many thought leaders agree that AI will work alongside humans, rather than remove the need for them altogether.

Think Ahead – Start Planning your 2030 today!

YES careers and workplace trends are set for a period of rapid change in the next decade, but the good news is that a multitude of new opportunities will be presented to younger workers. There has never been a more crucial time to upskill and thankfully, CAL can help with a range of flexible online courses in a variety of industries. As you climb the career ladder or get your foot on the rung of a new one, there is much for Gen Z and Gen Y to look forward to moving towards 2030.