How Come “No One Wants to Work Anymore?”
Young workers gathered around a worktable. Credit: Fauxels via Pexels
Generation Z is being criticized for “not wanting to work anymore,” despite a discouraging job market and quality of life diminishing for many Americans. Today, the primary complaint revolves around numerous businesses being understaffed despite skyrocketing unemployment.
In 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs – an unprecedented mass exit from the workforce, spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic, known as the “Great Resignation.” It has been a slow comeback since.
Following the era of working remotely and high burnout rates, many reconsidered their priorities regarding the role of work in their lives.
A January 2024 global study by consulting firm Randstad found that 57% of Gen Z said they would leave their job if it interfered with their personal lives and emotional well-being. Similarly, over half of them said they wouldn’t accept a job offer at a company that didn’t align with their views on social and environmental issues.
With a shift in priorities, many have become more comfortable searching elsewhere for work. Millennials and Gen Z have been dubbed the “job-hopping generations,” gaining criticism for not settling with one job, but rather leaving after a few years in search of one that aligns more with what they want.
Job hopping is nothing new, but it’s becoming increasingly common – mainly due to a tight labor market over the last several years. Over 22% of workers ages 20 and older spent a year or less at their jobs in 2022. That’s the highest percentage with a tenure that short since 2006, according to a study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Gen Z is speaking out against the criticisms of their work ethic, arguing it is a scapegoat for the harsh reality of the job market, including Marist College students who are nearing the start of their post.
“I consider myself a pretty hard worker [...] it kind of hurts to think that people consider our generation to not be hardworking,” said Abby Castonguay ‘25, regarding the backlash upon her generation’s work ethic.
Many consider the qualifications employers are looking for nowadays to be a bit absurd – entry-level jobs requiring five plus years of experience and bachelor’s degrees necessary for jobs paying minimum wage.
Castonguy will be spending her summer with the New York University Summer Publishing Institute program. She says that she and others recognize how much value experience has and have made the sacrifice of forgoing pay.
“I think everyone’s always thinking a couple of steps ahead of where they are… I feel like that experience is more beneficial when it comes to then another resume thing to then apply for other things later.”
Despite these efforts, Gen Z applicants are still facing rejection.
“Applying to internships has been brutal,” said Grant McKnight ‘26. “I would consider my resume to be pretty full as a sophomore, and I had applied to over 250 internship positions. The most frightening thing was companies not getting back to you, whether it's a yes or a no”.
With “ghosting,” the total share of interview reviews on Glassdoor that mention ghosting has more than doubled since before the pandemic began. In Oct. of 2023, 3.1% of interview reviews submitted on Glassdoor mentioned ghosting, up seven percent year-over-year.
Many feel frustrated as their level of effort in applying is not reflected in wages.
The federally mandated minimum wage in the U.S. has not increased since 2009. An analysis conducted by Statista found that if the minimum wage had kept up with productivity, the minimum hourly wage in the U.S. should have been $22.88 per hour in 2021, rather than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
The Pew Research Center found that although young adults today are more likely to have a four-year college degree, work full-time and have higher wages than their parents did 30 years ago, they are also more likely to have outstanding student loans. The average federal student loan debt balance is $37,088.
Additionally, a lack of financial stability has caused many to move back home. About 55% of young adults lived with their parents in 2022, down from pandemic-era peaks, but higher than in 2019, U.S. Census data shows.
Facts like this beg the question of how Gen Z is supposed to enter the workforce when they are grappling with an adulthood that may not permit them the benefits of homeownership or a stable income.
McKnight is wary of where the job market is at, but hopes that Gen Z will make a change.
“Our generation is one of the first to notice how corporate America has bought and sold our lives and are trying to stand up against it, and push for workers' rights.”