![\"Gen](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Gen_Z_perspective.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHow many Gen Zers are there in the workforce?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In 2024, when the most recent US government report on labor force demographics<\/a> was released, Gen Zers made up 18% of the labor force. And the trend is increasing steadily, with the second quarter of 2024 marking the first time in history that there were more Gen Z employees (18%) than Baby Boomers (15%) in the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to McKinsey\u2019s Quarterly report<\/a>, Gen Zers are estimated to make up 30% of all employees by 2030. Freeman estimates that, by 2030, Millennials and Gen Z will make up 75% of the total workforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a large share of the working population, Gen Zers already have a voice in the modern workplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at exactly what they bring to the office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gen Z gets a bad rep for spending more time on their phones than any other generation, but this hasn\u2019t made them any less ambitious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A GWI report<\/a> shows that, despite 25% of the Gen Z workforce spending at least 6 hours a day scrolling, 47% still consider themselves career-focused. In fact, 20% of them are so focused on climbing the corporate ladder that they feel overworked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Overworking can take a toll on the quality of life beyond what you\u2019d expect. Read more on how to avoid getting overworked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The previously mentioned GWI report shows that 49% of Gen Z employees use AI to improve their skills on a regular basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, according to McKinsey\u2019s The State of Organizations 2026<\/a> report, Gen Zers are more likely to view AI agents not just as tools, but as active collaborators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And even within Gen Z, there\u2019s a significant increase in AI adoption by generation. According to JoinHandshake\u2019s The Class of 2026 in the AI Economy<\/a> report, 85% of the Class of 2026 seniors report using generative AI tools during college. This is roughly a 50% increase compared to the Class of 2024 just 2 years prior. Additionally, 24% of Class of 2026 students use AI daily, nearly double the 13% reported by the Class of 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, when we first conducted our CAKE.com study and asked Gen Z employees how they would feel about AI integration in their workplace: <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2026, when we repeated the study: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This massive shift in attitude shows that Gen Z is becoming increasingly welcoming toward workplace AI integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other sources corroborate this attitude shift, with the Deloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey<\/a> showing that 59% of Gen Zers believe Gen AI skills are somewhat or highly required for career advancement.<\/p>\n\n\n \n Scale your business with CAKE.com tools<\/p>\n \n Increase productivity and grow your organization with Clockify, Pumble, and Plaky.<\/p>\n \n More than half of Gen Z workers (55%) use AI to solve problems at work, according to Randstad\u2019s Gen Z Workplace Blueprint<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Deloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, this is what Gen Z employees use AI for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our CAKE.com study reveals that 36.8% of Gen Z employees turn to AI when faced with a task they don\u2019t know how to perform. For reference, 52.6% ask their manager\/mentor for help, while 10.5% take the trial-and-error approach until they find the solution that works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of our 2024 CAKE.com Gen Z study, we asked Gen Z employees what motivated them the most at work. Learning and development opportunities ranked 4th, with only 11.6% of respondents saying it was their top motivator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We asked the same question during our 2026 CAKE.com Gen Z research, and were surprised to see a large shift in attitude: learning and development opportunities shared the top spot (21.9%) with competitive salaries as the top motivator for Gen Z employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for how they approach learning and development, Deloitte\u2019s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey shows us that 31% of Gen Zers decide not to pursue higher education. Instead, 45% are open to taking on side projects or small gigs to expand their professional development, while 42% consider on-the-job training to be the best tactic, according to a 2024 Indeed global study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, according to the CAKE.com study, 51.2% of Gen Z employees expect their employer to allocate 1-2 hours a week for learning\/upskilling, 34.9% expect 3-5 hours, and 9.3% expect more than 5 hours per week for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to CAKE.com research, 78.9% of Gen Z employees list instant messaging as their preferred channel for internal communication. For reference, 15.8% listed video calls, 5.3% face-to-face communication, and exactly 0% listed emails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research from Barclays LifeSkills<\/a> found that Gen Zers prefer instant messaging platforms to email at work because they let you show your personality through GIFs, emojis, images, and so on. The same research shows that 97% of Gen Zers find showing their personality and being themselves in work communication quite important.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Informal language is also more appropriate on messaging platforms than email, and, according to the CAKE.com study, 78.9% of Gen Zers prefer to use informal language when communicating with colleagues and clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gen Z may be onto something for avoiding emails at all costs. See for yourself why instant communication may be the better option:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a look at what Gen Zers want out of the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Deloitte\u2019s 2026 Gen Z and Millennial research<\/a>, 96% of Gen Z employees say that having a sense of purpose at work is important to them. In 2025, this number was 89%, indicating it\u2019s still trending upward, even into the high nineties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same research shows that approximately 40% of respondents have rejected job offers because of personal ethics. Before applying for a job, 75% of Gen Zers say they scrutinize potential employers\u2019 societal impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CAKE.com study results are consistent with these findings, showing that 46.5% of Gen Z employees find it very important for their employer to be involved in social and environmental issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ripplematch research of over 3,000 Gen Z students<\/a> and recent graduates shows that 70% of Gen Zers expect to be promoted within the first 18 months of employment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the 2025 Deloitte research, however, only 6% of Gen Zers say their primary career goal is to reach a leadership position. Instead, they want to work and develop skills without the pressure that comes from being a leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Diversity in experience and work-life balance matter more to them than managing a team or a company.<\/p>\n\n\n \n Scale your business with CAKE.com tools<\/p>\n \n Increase productivity and grow your organization with Clockify, Pumble, and Plaky.<\/p>\n \n The 2025 Handshake survey on Gen Z expectations has shown that 63% of Gen Zers rank high starting salaries and 70% rank job stability as top factors when choosing a job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, expectations of frequent pay raises seem to be declining now that some Gen Zers have been in the workforce for a while. Namely, while 67.2% of Gen Z employees expected salary adjustments every 6 months, according to the 2024 CAKE.com study, that number shrank to 48.8% in the 2026 CAKE.com study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same study revealed that 52.6% of managers struggle to meet salary expectations of Gen Z candidates \u2014 by far the biggest challenge, with career advancement expectations coming in second at 36.8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the 2026 CAKE.com survey shows, 74% of Gen Zers rank unsatisfactory salaries or benefits as the top reasons they would leave a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unhealthy company culture comes next (52.5%), followed by a lack of career advancement opportunities (39.5%). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Deloitte\u2019s Generation Z Workforce Experience research shows that 60% of Gen Z employees want their higher-ups to show they care about this generation\u2019s well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Gen Zers, they value this sentiment so much that it would lead them to stay with a company longer if their bosses showed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gen Zers put a spotlight on mental health the moment they stepped into the workforce, and they expect employers to support their mission of overcoming mental health stigmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Monster\u2019s 2024 State of the Graduate Report<\/a>, 92% of recent Gen Z graduates want to be able to discuss mental wellness at work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n That being said, Deloitte\u2019s Gen Z and Millennial survey shows that only 56% of Gen Zers feel comfortable talking with their higher-ups about mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of that, 52% believe their managers would be able to support them with mental health concerns, while 26% worry they\u2019d be discriminated against if they opened these discussions at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Gen Zers comprising a growing share of the workforce each year, employers ready to meet these demands will benefit most from Gen Z talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The state of our mental health can also depend on the level of overstimulation we experience at work. Learn how to reverse its effect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of both the 2024 and the 2026 CAKE.com study, we asked Gen Z employees which 3 values they prioritize at work. The placements and percentages remained largely consistent, with transparency and honesty firmly at the top place. The only major shift was the placement switch between ethical business practices<\/em> and innovation and creativity<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat does Gen Z bring into the workforce?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
47% of Gen Zers are career-oriented<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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49% of Gen Zers already use AI to improve their skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gen Zers are becoming less negative about the integration of AI in their workplace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Scale](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner-standard.png\")
\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\n55% of Gen Zers use AI to solve problems at work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"How](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/How-Gen-Z-employees-are-using-GenAI.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n21.9% of Gen Zers view learning and development as their top motivator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
78.9% of Gen Zers prefer instant messaging platforms for internal communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What does Gen Z want in the workplace?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
96% of Gen Z employees want purpose-driven work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gen Zers want to be promoted quickly, but not into leadership positions.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\nGen Zers expect high starting salaries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
69.8% of Gen Zers would leave a job because of an unsatisfactory salary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
60% of Gen Zers would like managers to care about their well-being <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
92% of Gen Z graduates want to discuss mental health at work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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88.4% of Gen Zers value transparency and honesty at work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/What_Gen_Zs_value_the_most_at_their_workplace.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Key](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Key-factors-for-Gen-Z-employees-when-relocating-for-a-job-white-background.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Employers\u2019](\"https:\/\/cake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Employers-methods-for-attracting-and-retaining-Gen-Z-employees-white-background.png\")
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