Understanding the Emerging Workforce: Insights from Gen Z and Millennial Survey Data

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Abstract: This article examines critical findings from Deloitte's 2019 Gen Z and Millennial Survey to help organizational leaders understand and effectively engage the emerging workforce. As these generations will soon constitute over half of global workers, the research highlights their core priorities: purpose-driven work with social/environmental impact, flexibility and work-life balance, genuine diversity beyond demographics, and continuous skill development. The article translates these insights into practical leadership applications across industries, offering strategies for communicating purpose, implementing flexible work models, fostering inclusive cultures, and facilitating ongoing learning. By aligning organizational practices with these generational values, leaders can better attract, engage, and develop talent while positioning their companies for sustained success in a multi-generational workplace environment.

As organizations look to the future, understanding what truly matters to the emerging workforce is essential for leadership success. Recent survey data provides valuable insights into the perspectives and priorities of Generation Z and Millennials - those born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, and the late 1970s/early 1980s and mid-1990s, respectively. These two generations will soon make up over half of the global workforce (Fry & Parker, 2018).

Today we will examine key findings from Deloitte's 2019 Gen Z and Millennial Survey to unpack what truly resonates with these cohorts and how organizational leaders can apply learnings to develop an engaged and effective future workforce.

The Research Foundation: Key Insights from the Gen Z and Millennial Survey

Deloitte's biannual survey provides unique data on the views of Gen Z and Millennials across 16 countries. Some notable findings offer key guidance for leaders:

• Purpose and Impact Matter Most: When asked about their career priorities, impacting social/environmental issues ranked highest for both generations surveyed, cited by 62% of Gen Z and 52% of Millennials (Deloitte, 2019). This emphasizes the importance of purpose-driven work that allows individuals to contribute positively to important causes. Leaders who can articulate clear connections between job roles and meaningful outcomes will attract and retain top talent.

• Flexibility and Work-Life Balance Are Paramount: Over half of Gen Z and Millennials said flexible working options are very important when considering job opportunities (Deloitte, 2019). In addition, about 70% would like their employer to support their well-being (Lemoine, 2018). As these generations value balance, leaders need policies allowing flexibility in when, where and how employees work to accommodate diverse needs and lifestyles.

• Diversity and Inclusion Go Beyond Demographics: While appreciating a diverse and inclusive culture with other races/nationalities and both genders, Gen Z and Millennials also desire differences in perspectives, skills and experiences to be respected (Deloitte, 2019). Leaders fostering truly open-minded cultures valuing all forms of diversity will engage these talent pools fully.

• Developing Future-Ready Skills Is Critical: Staying relevant through continuous learning topped the list of actions Gen Z takes to manage their careers (Deloitte, 2019). These generations want supportive leaders that equip them with in-demand skills through diverse experiences and relevant training to thrive in an evolving future of work.

Practical Applications for Organizational Leadership

Based on the research findings, organizational leaders should consider the following approaches to resonate and lead the emerging multi-generational workforce effectively:

Communicating Purpose and Impact

• Clearly articulate how roles contribute to meaningful organizational goals tackling important issues

• Highlight real success stories of employees driving positive change through their work

• Recognize efforts internally and externally that advance important causes

Embracing Flexible Working Models

• Review and update work flexibility policies to allow more hybrid/remote options as standard

• Make adjustments based on employee input through regular pulse surveys

• Champion flexible managers demonstrating support for individual work-life needs

Nurturing an Inclusive Culture

• Promote diversity beyond demographics by valuing all forms of diversity of thought

• Foster inclusion through actions like diverse hiring panels and employee resource groups

• Train all leaders on inclusive behaviors and mitigating unconscious biases

Facilitating Future-Ready Learning

• Provide varied on-the-job experiences to build in-demand technical and soft skills

• Support credentials/certifications and external training as professional development

• Leverage micro-learning and peer-to-peer learning to stay continuously skilled up

Practical Examples Across Industries

Organizations across industries have successfully implemented strategies aligning with Gen Z and Millennial priorities:

• Tech companies proactively share societal impacts and offer flexible/remote roles enabling better work-life balance (Ex: Twitter, Dropbox).

• Financial services firms develop inclusive cultures through Employee Networks promoting diverse perspectives (Ex: American Express, Ernst & Young)

• Manufacturers equip next-gen workers with advanced skills via apprenticeship programs and on-site training facilities (Ex: Siemens, BMW Group).

• Retail and consumer brands recognize employee community service contributions to demonstrate purpose in action (Ex: Target, PepsiCo).

• Healthcare systems support credentialing/badging and new skills through tuition assistance programs (Ex: Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic).

• Consulting practices adopt diverse hiring practices involving candidates directly in interview process (Ex: McKinsey, Bain).

Conclusion

As Gen Z and Millennials will drive organizations forward, leadership must understand what truly resonates with these talent pools. Recent survey data provides key takeaways for aligning workplace culture with priorities like purpose, flexibility, inclusion, and continued learning. Leaders facilitating these values through clear communication, enabling structures, and applied examples position their companies to attract, engage and develop the future-ready workforce. With ongoing guidance from generational research, companies able to effectively lead across multiple generations lay the foundation for sustained long-term success.

References

1. Deloitte. (2019). The 2019 Deloitte Global Millennial Survey: Societal discord and technological transformation create a "generation disrupted".

2. Fry, R., & Parker, K. (2018, November 15). Early Benchmarks Show 'Post-Millennials' on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project.

3. Lemoine, G. J. (2018). No Employee Left Behind: Supporting Well-Being and Performance in a New Era. People & Strategy, 41(3), 22–27.

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

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Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). Understanding the Emerging Workforce: Insights from Gen Z and Millennial Survey Data. Human Capital Leadership Review, 19(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.19.4.3