Gen Z transforms the work paradigm by prioritising mental health and leisure time in front of the lack of professional prospects.
The arrival of Gen Z to the labour market has transformed the idea of “success”. Precariousness dictates work conditions for the younger generation, especially since the burst of the Spanish property bubble. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the unemployment rate amongst those under 25 years of age in Spain is around 26.9%. Of all those unemployed, 19% are under 25, and one in three long-term unemployed—those who have been out of work for more than a year—belong to the millennial generation.
Spain is not a country for young people. Data from the OCDE (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the Bank of Spain, and the INE reflect that “young Spanish people find themselves in an unprecedented state of vulnerability”. Despite the recent labour reform, which has reduced temporary employment in the Spanish labour market to 17.08% by 2023, young people remain the most affected—with a temporary employment rate of 45.2%—very often without having chosen it.
Wages are the third end of the precariousness triangle. Those under 30 earn 35% less than the average. Their wage growth is below that of previous generations. People born in 1955 reached the average Social Security contribution base by the age of 27, while those born in 1985 did not reach it until the age of 34. Even more, according to the Spanish Survey of Household Finances (EFF), rent and family wealth have dropped a 37% between 2011 and 2022. One in three young people under the age of 29 are at risk of poverty.
Paula’s is one of the thousands of cases for whom the labour market has been an abyss of despair. A journalist under 30, she has worked precarious jobs since she was 18: as a chocolate saleswoman and a waitress in catering and luxury hotels. She got her first qualified job at the age of 23, with an unwanted part-time contract. “When I started, I earned less than 700 euros with a part-time contract. I had to work outside of regular hours, including weekends, and I was constantly asked to perform tasks outside my scheduled hours. I tried to please out of fear of losing the job and because of the promises of improvements, but four years later, I am still stuck with an imposed part-time contract with a miserable wage”, she explains. The situation has also affected her mental health: “I have wasted a lot of time in therapy—which I have paid, obviously—learning to set boundaries at work. I have wasted my mental health; professional ambitions are burning me out and I have damaged my personal relationships”, she concludes.
Data disprove the suspicions that the precarious situation of young people may be due to low qualifications. Spain, along with Greece, stands out for the overqualification of its young population between the ages of 20 and 34. According to Eurostat, 35% have a higher level of education than what is required for the job they perform, while the European average stands at 22%.
A Redefinition of Success
The frustration of a labour market that drowns young people in long working hours, moonlighting (aka multiple jobs), and low wages has led to a significant shift in how work is viewed. Young people have popularised a new concept, “quiet ambition”, a challenge to those critics that define them as the “glass generation”. Due to a lack of professional prospects, work is no longer a means of self-fulfilment. The term does not imply that young people do not have ambitions, but that they prioritise other issues such as mental health, leisure, free time, and social and personal life over long working hours that never seem to translate into higher wages. There is a claim to have time for leisure, family, sports, or travel without experiencing emotional and mental overload. The aspiration is to work less so as to have more free time. The pressure from unions and workers to reduce working hours is increasing and young people are one of the main groups to support it.
Millennials have had to assume a change in work values, born from the crisis and precariousness. They have also stopped considering work as the centre of their lives. First came the Great Recession of 2008, followed by the COVID crisis. The feeling that effort does not always lead to stable career prospects has propelled a widespread feeling of disaffection. Crises have forced a shift in mindset, with precariousness becoming the new normality. This context has led to viewing work as a resource to live and where vocation has lost importance. Now, priorities have changed to free time, affection, and mental well-being.
Quiet ambition is keeping companies in check. According to research by Visier conducted in the United States, only 37% of young workers maintain their interest in having their boss’ job someday. 67% prioritise having time to see their family and friends; 64% to be mentally and physically healthy, while 58% prioritise travelling. Young people have given a new meaning to the word ‘ambition’. They reject possible associations with stress, unmeasured working demands, and exhaustion. They have also redefined the concept in healthier terms, seeking a balance between work and personal life, as well as a more relaxed and flexible work environment.
