The Zoomers Have Arrived
If you’re still talking about how to integrate millennials into your workforce, then you are 20 years behind. Millennials were born from 1981 to 1996, and as such, members of the generation have been working for 20+ years. Now, we are welcoming the first waves of Generation Z, also called Zoomers, into full-time employment. As baby boomers retire, Gen Zers, who were born from 1996 to 2012, are replacing boomers in the labor force.
Both millennials and Zoomers are called “digital natives” because they grew up in the digital age. The oldest members of Gen Z reached double digits, 10 years old, when the iPhone was first introduced in 2007. So though they weren’t born with smartphones in their hands, they don’t have much memory of a life before them.
According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z is more likely to pursue educational aspirations than previous generations. In 2018, 62% of Gen Zers who were 18- to 22-year-olds had jobs. When they were a comparable age, 71% of millennials and 79% of Gen Xers worked.
The part-time, entry-level job isn’t quite the rite of passage it was for previous generations.
But don’t let any delay of Gen Z’s arrival in the labor pool lessen your awareness of this generation’s impact. One-fifth of the U.S. population are Zoomers. As highlighted in a report from Deloitte, the future of work and the characteristics of the incoming generation require a different approach. One key takeaway: use mentorships to help bring in Gen Z as strong leaders for the future.
