Financial stability | Is money the biggest motivator for Gen Z?

A recent BBC article said that 70% of Gen Z feel money is the most important thing when looking for a job, which conflicts with the increasingly accepted idea that workers are caring more about perks and flexibility over the number on their paycheque.

Attitudes towards money amongst younger generations is changing, largely due to the introduction of unconventional jobs and shifts in what workers are prioritising. For the parents of those considered Gen Z, financial stability to support a family was a cultural norm, making salaries a main consideration when seeking a job.

But the world younger generations have grown up in is incredibly different to the world lived in by those before them. Social media, multiple economic crises, a looming climate catastrophe, and a pandemic have all shaped the world these individuals are existing and working in, giving them different definitions of what they hold important.

Sustained crises

Many workers considered Gen Z would have been reaching their teen years during the 2008 financial crash and graduating university in the midst of a pandemic, at a time when unemployment was rife.