Just like Kermit and Miss Piggy’s dynamic, young adults’ relationship with work is, in a word, complicated. While millennials and Gen Zers highly value work-life balance, they’re operating in a high-inflation world where money is tight and stable finances are tough to find. They might not dream of labor, but many must labor even harder than their parents did to afford the same lifestyle, making it difficult for them to actually put their money where their mouth is when it comes to achieving that coveted balance.
So finds Deloitte's global survey of 22,000 millennial and Gen Z workers, who said work-life balance is the top trait they admire in their peers and their top consideration when choosing an employer, above learning and development and pay. It seems at odds with Deloitte's other finding: Nearly half (49%) of Gen Zers and 62% of millennials say their job is still central to their sense of identity, second only to their family and friends, but more important than hobbies, music, and exercise. But it may be hard to separate work from identity when you're working all the time to make ends meet.
