The economic times are uncertain. However, many young people are ready to give up their jobs and look for a new one, writes ARD.
Among Generation Z, i.e. people between the ages of 12 and 28 who are currently working, every second one has this attitude, and about ten percent have concrete plans for the upcoming change, according to a study by Forsa commissioned by the job portal Xing.
What is the reason? After young people have long sought more satisfaction and fulfillment, income is more important to them today, the study shows.
It all started with the pandemic
Youth researcher Simon Schnetzer links this to the crises of the last five years. As head of the study "Youth in Germany", he has been studying how young people view work and their future since 2012. Indeed, for years the main priority has been the pleasure of work or fulfillment through the profession.
"During the pandemic, and later as a result of high inflation since 2022, young people began to feel increasingly dissatisfied", says Schnetzer. The impact of financial uncertainty on the lives of young people has also begun to reflect on their professional priorities. The expert's observations show that since 2020, money has displaced everything else and become the main motivating factor.
Young people did not suddenly decide that they wanted to be richer than before, the researcher continues. The circumstances after the financial crisis in 2008 also unfolded in a similar way. At that time, many people considered their future to be threatened by the economic downturn and even defined themselves as "children of the crisis", recalls Schnetzer. Then and now, they tell themselves that in such times, they are sure to give money. Other needs remain in the background.
Independents are more inclined to change
In principle, young people have always been more inclined than older people to change jobs, Ronja Ebeling, author of a book about Generation Z, told ARD. "This is because they are generally still in a phase of their lives in which they are in the process of searching."
For Ebeling, it is understandable that financial factors are now central to young people. Despite high inflation, starting salaries have not increased significantly in recent years. "Young people also have an interest in earning more and faster in order to guarantee themselves a certain security in the face of inflation and economic crises", the author points out to ARD.
Labor market prospects
The fact that young people are so willing to change jobs is also due to the fact that they have been socialized in a very different way, says Rüdiger Maas from the Institute for Generational Research. They not only grew up in times of relative prosperity, but they have also always been convinced that their chances on the labor market are great. "Right now, everyone can find a job," he says.
One reason for this is that a large part of the baby boom generation is retiring and there are not enough young recruits: For every 3,000 or so people who turn 65 every day, only about 1,800 turn 18, Maas says. And for many skilled workers from abroad, Germany is not attractive enough.
Young people today are not necessarily changing jobs out of necessity, but because they want better conditions. This includes both pay and job satisfaction, Maas tells ARD.
Optimism despite uncertainty
Most Germans do not have serious concerns about job security. In the Xing survey, over 90 percent of respondents said they did not expect any layoffs in the coming year - overall confidence in job security remains high.
However, the development prospects at their current employer also play an important role in whether young people consider changing jobs. For this reason, they evaluate not only their own work, but also the organization of the company as a whole, the ARD points out.
If employers do not have an answer to this question or rely on the same strategy as for the past 25 years, this can cause anxiety among young people, says Ebeling. "They need to make sure that their employer has a clear vision of how things will go in the future."
Security in uncertain times: young people are concerned because they see climate change, wars and political uncertainty all coming together at the same time. Therefore, work must provide security - also in financial terms, ARD also points out.
Author: Paula Protzen