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Employer doubts about Gen Z attitudes to professional life are combining with AI advencements to form a dual challenge for younger employees trying to build sustainable careers.
Leadership expert Jennifer Moss says “youngism” - the tendency to stereotype younger workers as unreliable or disloyal - has become one of the fastest-growing forms of age discrimination. “The set of stereotypes and practices that discount younger workers as unreliable, lazy and disloyal has outpaced any other type of ageism - and the economic impacts are startling,” she wrote in Fortune.
Each generation faces its own labels, from Boomers seen as resistant to change to Gen Xers viewed as detached. Millennials are often described as entitled, while Gen Zs are accused of lacking professionalism. For the youngest employees, these assumptions make it harder to secure opportunities.
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 52% of employers believe young workers are not job-ready, citing gaps in workplace skills and social adaptability. Another 71% said they struggle to behave appropriately in professional settings.
A separate study reported that one-third of employers view young people as overly sensitive, while 9% admit to rejecting candidates because of their age. Among the young workers surveyed, 93% said they had faced negative treatment linked to age.
Struggles for support and stability
For some, the bias is personal. Courtney Chatterton, a 27-year-old who worked at a tech start-up, told CNBC her older colleagues were “constantly dismissive” and questioned every decision. “I felt so unsupported and completely defeated,” she said, explaining that she left the role after 18 months.
Moss said older coworkers often misinterpret Gen Z’s focus on flexibility and mental health as lack of effort. “Today’s early adulthood is tougher to navigate, with higher costs, unstable entry roles, and later milestones,” she wrote. “Older coworkers often misread those priorities as lower effort.”
Financial insecurity compounds the issue. Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found that 48% of Gen Zs do not feel financially secure, and more than half live paycheck to paycheck. Over half also rely on gig work - 57% have a side hustle, according to a Fortune/Harris poll.
AI and future uncertainty
The rise of AI technology is adding further strain. Deloitte found 74% of Gen Zs expect generative AI to affect their jobs in the next year. A Stanford University study showed a 13% employment drop for 22–25-year-olds in fields most exposed to automation.
For a generation already fighting to be taken seriously, technology may is proving to be both a useful tool and a career obstacle.
