Sean Lyons Linda SchweitzerLinda Schweitzer Sean Lyons

The Truth About Gen Z: What We Really Know about Their Employer Preferences & Career Aspirations

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Source of Data:

• Annual survey of post-secondary students across Canada• 2019 included 28,416• Focus is preferences and decisions regarding:• Post-secondary choice• Career development• Communication channels • Employers• Careers

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Student Sample

• 69 universities and 72 colleges in 10 provinces & 1 territory

• 17,252 university undergraduates• 1,579 college diploma/bachelors students

Female62%

Male35%

Non-binary1%

2%

4%

21%

9%

Indigenous peoplesPersons with disabilities

Visible minorityLGBTQ

AgeUniversity 22.3College 25.2

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Student Profile

Full-time91%

Part-time5%

22% 24% 25%21%

8%

1stYear

2ndYear

3rdYear

4thYear

Other

Domestic 91%

International 9%

1%

3%

3%

5%

8%

13%

18%

23%

42%

OtherAgriculture

LawEducation

Computer ScienceHealth & Medicine

EngineeringBusiness

Arts & Science

Area of Study

Working while studying

51% university students – 15.9 hrs/week61% college students – 19.2 hrs/week

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Co-op

Co-op Experience4 Best Aspects 1. Learning/development2. Environment

(coworkers, supervisor)3. Interesting work 4. Flexible work hours

5 Worst Aspects1. Compensation2. Uninteresting work3. Inconvenient location4. Poor orientation5. No learning/development

22%

47%

31%

21%

50%

29%

Decreased

Increased

No change

Impact of Co-op on Employer Attractiveness

University College

Co-op/internship

University 44%College 57%

Insights• Co-op = good recruiting vehicle• Must be well designed to be

effective as recruitment tool

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Future Careers

3%

6%

18%

72%

7%

12%

29%

51%

Travel

Dont know

FurtherStudies

Employment

Plans after graduation

University College

66%

10%24%

73%

10% 18%

Certain Neutral Uncertain

Certainty of Career Plans

University College

Insights

• Fair degree of certainty of plans• Majority will be seeking employment • Career advice based on personal connections

6 Top Career Influencers

1. Parents2. Friends3. Coworkers4. Professors5. Online resources6. Partner or spouse

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Career Expectations

Insights

• Salary and advancement expectations remain elevated• Seeking security and stability• Offering moderate commitment

Starting SalaryUniversity $52KCollege $53k

25%

55%

14%6%

35%47%

11% 8%

Within 1 year 1 To 2 years 2 to 3 years More than 3years

Time to Promotion

University College

Tenure with EmployerWhole Career

University 51%College 63%

Why?1. Security2. Stability

Why Not?1. Range of experience2. Start business (college)

Average Tenure Preferred University 5.8 yrsCollege 6.3 yrs

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Job Search5 Top Job Search Sites

1. Indeed2. LinkedIn3. Google4. Campus career5. Employers’ websites

Accurate/Trustworthy Perspective of Employers

1. Current employees 2. Employer’s website3. Friends & family4. LinkedIn5. Employer rating websites6. Professor/Academic Advisor7. Co-op/internship/Career services

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Job Search

Insights

• Students visiting employer websites but not satisfied

• On-campus presence and in-person presence matters

82%

72%

47%

63%

82%

70%

40%

69%

Prefer in-person torecorded video interview

Employers should spendmore time on campus

Employer websites usefulcontent and easy to use

Employers need toimprove their online

applications

Agree/Strongly Agree

University College

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Employer AttractivenessPreferred Type of

EmployerTop 51. Medium/large-sized2. Health/Medical 3. Public Service4. Small business 5. Don’t know

Least Selected• My own business• Non-profit organization

Preferred LocationCanada

87% University 93% College

Insights

• Seeking traditional jobs (private and public sector)

• Domestic preferred• Ideal workplace is based

on culture

Ideal Employer Attributes1. Workplace Culture

• Friendly environment• Good work-life balance• Supportive leader

2. Job Characteristics• Interesting work• Job security• Training and development

3. Reputation & Image• Ethical• Good reputation

4. Pay & Benefits

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Work Values and Career GoalsImportance for Choosing First JobTop 71. Healthy workplace2. Work-Life balance3. Good colleagues4. Interesting work5. Good supervisor6. Job security7. Advancement/development

Lowest Rated• Salary and benefits • Personal impact• Variety of work• Commitment to sustainability/diversity• Organization is a leader in its field• Opportunity to travel

Insights• Quality of both work and

life are very important• Seeking intellectually

stimulating work/career• Focus is also on the

practical• Prestige is not important

Career GoalsTop 51. Work-life balance2. Secure employment3. Serving a cause 4. Be creative and innovative5. Intellectually challenging

Lowest Rated• Be a recognized expert • Become a leader • Work internationally• Run my own business

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Healthy Workplace and Work/Life BalanceAspects of Healthy

Workplace

1. Work/life balance*2. Valuing diversity 3. Supportive environment4. Health benefits5. Livable workspace 6. Learning culture

Promotion of Work/Life Balance

1. Flexible hours*2. More vacation days3. Work from home4. Health and fitness facilities5. Enhanced

maternity/paternity leave options

Insights

• Healthy workplace and work/life balance dominate work values

• Work/life balance = healthy workplace

• Flexible work arrangements are key to balance

Sean Lyons Linda Schweitzer

Take-Aways1. Co-op• Increases employer attractiveness• Poor work conditions push them away

3. Recruitment• Informal influencers top the list• Quality of employer websites is critical• Culture, health workplace and work/life

balance are key to recruitment • Not overtly ambitious - practical dreamers2. Career Plans

• Traditional, domestic career paths• Quality of work and life are top priorities• Seeking stability and security• Not motivated by merely salary and benefits• Pay and promotion expectations elevated but

not outrageous