‘Non-negotiable’: One thing Gen Z workers must do to save their careers

They’re the skills that are going to be essential in workplaces across the country very soon – and Gen Z is coming up short.

There’s a workplace crisis coming for Gen Z. Picture: iStock

Along with how we work and where we work, the pandemic changed another significant aspect of the workforce – the job skills most preferred by employers.

Historically, there was a need and desire for candidates who trained at prominent tertiary institutions, previously worked at well-respected companies and importantly, possessed tangible and technical skills that suited the role they were applying for, otherwise known as hard skills.

However, in today’s climate, the skills that many employers are on the lookout for are very different – soft skills.

“Soft skills, or essential skills – are attributes, traits and behaviours that affect and enhance how an employee performs and interacts with others in the workplace. These essential skills, which are more difficult to learn and develop, include adaptability, resilience, critical thinking and continuous learning,” chief executive officer of the Australian HR Institute Sarah McCann Bartlett told news.com.au.

“Employees with strong soft or essential skills can contribute more broadly to the workplace and business success. Research from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Centre found that 85 per cent of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills.

“Because they are harder to teach and learn, many employers are looking for employees who demonstrate these skills.”

Gen Z is 'seriously lacking' in one department – and it could spell disaster for their careers. Picture: iStock

Additionally, soft skills are desirable to keep up with the changes caused by the wave of computerisation, global connectivity and automation across our workforce.

“It’s estimated 40 per cent of our jobs will be threatened by computerisation in the next 10-15 years,” social researcher Claire Madden said.

Jobs that are expected to be safe include those with high levels of creativity and problem-solving, high levels of social interaction and high levels of dexterity, all of which rely on various soft skills such as interpersonal communication and conflict management.

And while these soft skills are seen as the future of many workplaces, research has shown that not every generation possesses them in equal amounts.

“Based on two decades of research, I can report that the overwhelming data points to a steady diminution in the soft skills of young people in the workplace from Gen X to Gen Y to Gen Z,” said Bruce Tulgan, the founder and CEO of management research and training firm RainmakerThinking Inc.

Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z – or Gen Z – currently make up 30 per cent of the world’s population and is expected to account for 27 per cent of the workforce by 2025.

But analysts say they are also the generation who possess less of the soft skills required for future jobs.

Younger workers are expected to have more than 17 jobs across five different careers in their lifetime. Picture: iStock

“New, young employees are, by definition, less experienced and therefore lacking in the type of maturity and patience that is cultivated over time … Today’s young workers are increasingly likely to have significant weaknesses in at least one (but usually several) key soft skills,” Mr Tulgan continued.

One reason for this lack of soft skills is the pandemic, which shifted the way the generations interacted with one another, professor of business ethics at the University of San Diego Tara Salinas explains.

“Gen Z are digital natives and they’ve always communicated online, so their interpersonal skills, or soft skills, have suffered,” she said.

“They took an even bigger hit because of Covid-19, and it has shifted the way that we need to interact with them in the workplace.”

On the other hand, Generation X – those born between 1965-1980 – have these soft skills in abundance, said Anjela Mangrum, president of Mangrum Career Solutions.

“Gen Xers continue to be the best team players, with superior communication and co-ordination skills than their successors,” she said.

A major reason for this, according to career guide site Indeed, is due to the way the generation grew up with minimal adult supervision, along with their values of independence, work-life balance and apt understanding of technology.

Gen Z took an even bigger hit because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Picture: iStock

Looking to the future, training in the areas of creative thinking, problem-solving, analytical skills and face-to-face communication skills, among others, looks like a non-negotiable for Gen Z members who want to succeed in the workforce.

Soft skills such as adaptability will be critical for that generation, who are estimated to have more than 17 jobs across five different careers in their lifetime.

“These skills will be at a premium for Generation Z, so are key areas to focus development on for Gen Z staff. Gen Z will need to be lifelong learners, be agile and adaptive to changing job roles and tasks with increased automation and be responsive to new markets,” Ms Madden said.

Ms McCann-Bartlett agrees.

“With the pace of change in our workplaces getting faster and faster, the currency of our hard skills is getting shorter,” she said.

“This means that employees and leaders with strong essential skills like changeability, a growth mindset or resilience will be able to learn the new hard skills of the moment faster, make decisions quickly, adapt to the changes around them more easily and support their colleagues in their journey.”

Shona Hendley is a freelance writer.

Originally published as ‘Non-negotiable’: One thing Gen Z workers must do to save their careers