When personal growth and the ability to maintain quality of life become central considerations in career decisions, salary is no longer the sole benchmark, and the hierarchy of workplace values begins to shift accordingly.
BOSTON, MA (MERXWIRE) – The pace at which résumés are updated is accelerating faster than ever before. Recent labour market trends indicate that the average tenure of Generation Z employees has shortened markedly, and job changes are no longer viewed as a risk but as an increasingly common choice. Rather than signalling instability, this shift reflects a reassessment of long-term commitment, guided by standards that differ from those of previous generations.
This transformation is not an isolated phenomenon but a pattern emerging simultaneously across multiple countries. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, which surveyed more than 23,000 Gen Z and millennial respondents across 44 countries, younger generations are gradually shifting their expectations of work away from promotion and financial reward toward a greater emphasis on meaning and psychological well-being. While compensation remains essential, it is no longer the sole determining factor in career decisions.
This reordering of values is also evident in preferences for work arrangements. According to a 2025 global talent report by Randstad, approximately 60 per cent of Gen Z respondents consider time autonomy more attractive than salary. Nearly half indicated a willingness to accept lower pay in exchange for flexible working hours or the option to work remotely. By comparison, only about 30 per cent of baby boomers expressed the same level of willingness, underscoring a widening generational divide in expectations for work.
In Taiwan, this trend is equally evident. Although more than 80 per cent of Generation Z still regard salary as a basic threshold when seeking employment, actual retention decisions depend more on whether the job content aligns with personal expectations. According to a survey conducted by a leading job bank, approximately 47.4 per cent of Gen Z respondents have changed jobs two or more times, indicating that their career choices prioritise long-term experience and fit over stability in a single position.
Similar changes are also evident in Japan, a country long associated with a lifetime employment system. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare noted in its Reiwa 5 Labour Economy White Paper that job-switching rates among younger workers have become more active compared with levels observed more than a decade ago. An increasing number of Japanese Gen Z workers place greater importance on how work affects overall quality of life and no longer regard long-term employment with a single company as a self-evident career goal. Even within a workplace culture that traditionally prioritises stability, younger generations are gradually reshaping their conception of work.
Notably, the workplace environment itself has also emerged as a critical factor influencing employee retention. Surveys indicate that more than 60 per cent of Gen Z respondents find workplace bullying or prolonged high-pressure conditions unacceptable. Unlike earlier norms that equated endurance with responsibility, sustained psychological strain is increasingly viewed as justification for departure rather than as impulsive behaviour.
Compared with purely financial incentives, these factors exert a more substantial influence on job satisfaction and retention intentions. When work environments fail to address such needs, job transitions become a rational and consistent response. Looking ahead, the key to future workplace competitiveness may lie less in compensation alone and more in the ability to provide growth opportunities, respect personal time, and cultivate a healthy, communicative organisational culture.
