LinkedIn data | Why Gen Z are less likely to apply for fully remote jobs

While the demand for roles offering remote work continues to grow in almost all countries, younger workers are making the fewest applications to fully remote roles, new data from LinkedIn has found.

The online professional network analysed the labour market for career starters in the US, UK, France and Germany – including job applications and hiring data – to understand which sectors offer the most opportunity for Generation Z (Gen Z)  jobseekers and employers looking to attract them.

Gen Z want flexibility but that doesn’t necessarily mean remote

LinkedIn research of 4,000 Gen Z (18-25 year olds) career starters in the UK, US, France and Germany found that the vast majority (70%) want access to an office, preferring either a mix of office and remote working, or being in the office full-time, compared to just being fully remote. Gen Z respondents surveyed said that office working offers a separation between work and home (30%), a better environment to work productively (24%), and the opportunity to build closer relationships with colleagues (23%). A fifth of Gen Z (21%) said that they value the in-person training, mentorship, and access to more senior colleagues that working in an office brings.

These findings build on previous research from LinkedIn among business leaders which found that young people in the UK who worked from home during the pandemic were hit by a ‘development dip’. Leaders felt younger workers had missed out on learning by “osmosis” by not being around more experienced colleagues (36%), developing essential soft skills (36%), and building professional networks (37%).