24yo claims Gen Z workers are being taken ‘advantage of’ through new job trend

A young Aussie has revealed the new job trend that is getting “out of hand” and is taking “advantage” of Gen Z workers.

A young Australian woman has revealed the sneaky way she thinks employers are trying to take advantage of Gen Zers.

Emma Walker, 24, works in e-commerce, and she took to TikTok to point out a huge problem she’s seeing with entry-level job ads.

“Can someone please explain to me? What is with companies listing jobs as entry level jobs but they require three-plus years’ experience?” she asked.

Ms Walker said the scenario was becoming so common it was “getting out of hand” and she kept seeing it whenever she was browsing LinkedIn.

“Entry-level means you’re fresh out of university. I’ve been out of university for four years, and I have had three full-time jobs in my career, and I would not say I’m entry-level,” she said.

Emma has noticed a grim job ad trend. Picture: TikTok/emmawalkrr_

She revealed why finding employment is so hard for young people. Picture: TikTok/emmawalkrr_

She said if employers wanted someone with three years of experience, that was a “mid-level” position and the person should be paid “accordingly”.

“I look at jobs and feel like I can’t do anything. I don’t understand why companies think this is fair, and then they want to pay you minimum wage. Absolutely f**king not,” she said.

“It is so frustrating. If you’re an employer, think about this before you post your next job ad.”

Ms Walker told news.com.au that she thought requiring years of experience for entry-level positions was a way for companies to take “advantage” of Gen Zers.

“Companies requiring three-plus years’ experience for an ‘entry level’ role is essentially making it impossible for those that have either just graduated or those that want a career path change to find a job,” she said.

Even if you managed to land a job, the Melbourne worker said the structure made it harder for young people to “progress” in their careers.

She said entry level jobs shouldn't require so much experience. Picture: Instagram/emmawalkrr_

The 24-year-old works full-time. Picture: Instagram/emmawalkrr_

Ultimately, she thinks companies need to invest in young people and be willing to train them, instead of expecting years of experience from someone just starting out.

“I understand that some roles require people who can dive right in, but in many instances, people could be trained. Asking for more than three years’ experience in a particular industry seems outrageous,” she said.

Ms Walker said she was very lucky to land her first entry-level job without being told she needed more experience.

“I was paid very poorly for it, but it gave me a foot in the door, and we need to see more of this. Companies need to recognise that three-plus years in a role is a pretty long time and this experience deserves to be recognised and paid for accordingly,” she said.

Her rant struck a chord with young Australians who shared how they were dealing with the same issue.

One person claimed that it was common in the graphic design field. They’ll call someone a “junior entry-level designer” but require at least two years of experience.

“Girl, this killed me when I was trying to find a job,” another admitted.

Someone else said this was why it is “so hard” to change industries and another called the trend “insane”.

“100 per cent agree with everything you said! It’s getting out of control,” one wrote.

Originally published as 24yo claims Gen Z workers are being taken ‘advantage of’ through new job trend