Recruiting younger workers is a core pillar of a sound talent acquisition (TA) strategy. They offer the potential to make significant contributions to organizations that optimize their onboarding practices accordingly. Younger workers also help foster innovation, new ideas, and fresh approaches, and they ensure a Software Organization’s culture remains vibrant and reflects its current goals and values.
With the proper development, younger software workers quite literally evolve into their Software Companies’ future leaders. Therefore, hiring Generation Z is critical to businesses’ sustainability in future. But, it is also an extremely complex and difficult prospect in today’s labor market.
Around the world, Generation Z (individuals born after 1996) is joining today’s multigenerational workforce in staggering numbers. Surveys predict that the number of Gen Z employees will triple in the U.S. alone by 2030. Although Software Employers won’t be able to solve all of their talent needs with Gen Z workers, these individuals are increasingly critical to employers and future business innovation.
Talent Board and First Advantage, have conducted a survey which revealed:
"Candidate ghosting as their top challenge when hiring Gen Z workers. The other reason is a lack of qualified candidates and the fact that candidates require flexible, hybrid/remote work options. Nearly 52% and 51% of our participants stated these as challenges while flexible work options are a top challenge for 35%."
Tips to hire GenZ workers:
Ramping up use of social media sites for jobs-related information and employment branding (61%).
Posting messages about diversity, equity, and inclusion on their careers and social media sites (38%).
Communicating clear COVID-19 safety protocol messages (34%).
Low pay but an interesting job? Deal okay!
Regarding compensation and monetary incentives, for instance, younger workers are now most interested in financial wellness benefits such as 401(k) plans with matching, financial counseling, and tuition support programs. "Millennials carry an average of $34,770 in student loan debt, while almost 3 in 4 Gen-Zers will have student loans to pay off, with most owing between $25,000 and $50,000. If you want to stand out as an employer, offer student loan repayment assistance."
Interestingly, while salary is the most important factor for Gen Z in deciding on a job, they value salary as less of a deal breaker than every other generation. As a Deloitte report noted, "If given the choice of accepting a better paying but boring job versus work that was more interesting but didn’t pay as well, Gen Z was fairly evenly split over the choice."
Top incentives to attract Gen Z candidates:
Competitive compensation (48%).
Medical benefits or enhancements to their current package (46%).
Bonuses and other monetary incentives tied with flexible work arrangements (both at 41%)
As for flexible work arrangements, a 2021 study by the flexible workspace technology company, Kettle, found that half of the 1,000 Gen Z Software Employees polled said they’d leave their roles if not given a hybrid work option. Nearly two-thirds (65%) said hybrid work is "important" when considering a potential employer, and nearly 70% said they’d choose an employer who offered hybrid work over one who didn’t.
A substantial body of research supports our finding that Gen Z highly prizes professional development and career growth opportunities. An Entrepreneur article, for example, declared, "what will really attract and retain Gen Z candidates is growth opportunities." Nearly 60% of Gen Z is "interested in learning professional skills in order to make more money," it stated.
Software Development Company employers will need to personalize their talent acquisition efforts and candidate experiences to attract and retain these younger workers. But nailing down the strategies and tactics that work best will take a bit more time. Recruiting Gen Z is still a developing art, after all. However, recruiters are making progress on several fronts, as our survey results indicate.
GenZ: The most diverse generation of workers
While it’s true that nearly one-third of recruiters feel they still have "a lot of work to do" to achieve desired Gen Z recruitment results, many have identified clear opportunities to adjust their candidate experiences for Gen Z: streamlining internal processes; strengthening Careers sites and recruitment marketing; asking candidates for feedback; and implementing new technologies.
Gen Z is the most ethnically and racially diverse generation in history, according to the Pew Research Center; as a result, Gen Z and younger Millennials want to work for organizations that have a diverse and inclusive workplace. Nearly 40% of survey respondents are posting messages about diversity, equity, and inclusion on their companies’ careers sites and social media.
The survey also revealed that more than 60% of respondents use social media sites more frequently to share jobs information and employment branding. This is a wise move, as Gen Z and Millennials conduct extensive research on social media and employer review sites when contemplating new jobs and employer brands.
Given that the global workforce is aging, GenZ is going to be a crucial aspect of business growth and innovation. And, hence, Generation Z workers will also be the future workforce that will run the world!