Just when organizations thought they understood millennials, the generational transition is yet again affecting companies in all industries. We are now at the end of the entry-level millennial era. While millennials are still the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, it is Generation Z (Gen Z) that will begin filling our industry's internships and entry-level roles in the foreseeable future — quickly becoming the largest population of working professionals in the U.S.
Gen Z is the newest generation to be named and were born between 1995-2015. They are currently between 4-24 years old. With the earliest members of Generation Z just starting to enter the workforce, it is time to take a step back from the millennial mindset we have come to understand and get to know Gen Z.
With over 74 million members of Gen Z in the U.S. alone, the relevance of this generation’s workplace preferences isn’t going to dissipate anytime soon. While their counterparts, millennials, got a bad reputation for being chronic job-hoppers, don’t look to Gen Z for similar habits. Growing up mostly during tumultuous political and economic times (the oldest only being 5 when 9/11 occurred), has led Gen Z to value stable “future-proof” jobs.
This is a generation that values authenticity and transparency; they want to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of everything - including careers and your company.
As part of its workforce priority, the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor (KCAHC) has a website aimed at educating Gen Z on the diversity of careers in animal health. ExploreKCCareers.com offers a virtual tool where students can learn about career opportunities among animal health employers as well as career pathways based on areas of interest, income expectations, available education and training offerings in the KC region.
Later this year, the Corridor plans to unveil new resources on ExploreKCCareers.com that will further enhance the narrative of animal health careers and explicitly speaks to Gen Z.
Gen Z grew up with video calls and YouTube, and have never experienced a world without a device in their hands. They’re used to watching vloggers talk to them via handheld recorded videos. These young people aren’t expecting overly edited or formal employer branding videos. As part of the Corridor’s expanded content, it will be launching a video blog (vlog) series that authentically shows what it is like to work within different career pathways in the animal health industry. Additionally, the site will host podcasts, live streaming from large industry trade shows and more, all in an effort to better connect with Gen Z job seekers.
To learn more about the workforce priorities of the KCAHC or how your company can contribute, please contact Emily McVey.