How are those not-so-new kids on the block doing? You know, the “kids” who were born roughly 30 to 45 years ago…

Millennials make up the largest generation in the US workforce, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and, as of 2025, the largest share of managers, Glassdoor research found. They’ve also experienced a bigger decline in engagement than any other generation in recent years.

Engagement among Gen Z and younger millennial workers (those born between 1989–1995) dropped from 40% in 2020 to 32% in 2025, while that among older millennials (those born between 1980–1988) fell from 39% to 30%, a January Gallup report found.

This may be because many millennials are part of the “sandwich generation,” made up of those caring for aging parents and children simultaneously, Caitlin Collins, organizational psychologist and program strategy director at Betterworks, told HR Brew. She said they’re experiencing this stressful life stage as many workplaces undergo a “paradigm shift on what the value of work means to people.”

What’s changed? As people live longer, millennial caregivers are facing increased pressure to make more financial and career sacrifices. On top of that, the rate of technological change continues to grow at an exponential rate, with AI increasing that rate of change even further.

Thinking about the future of work may induce feelings of instability and insecurity in millennials who, Collins said, have learned that they don’t have the same access to stable, secure career paths as the generations that came before them.

“What we were promised, the expectations that we grew up with, counting on that, as we were raised by our previous generations, none of that’s coming to fruition,” Collins said.So far in their careers, millennials have already seen numerous shifts. From the 2008 recession to widespread digital disruption to the Covid-19 pandemic, they’ve had to learn how to quickly adapt and that “nothing is ever promised,” Torri Santander, a millennial and a VP of brand at public relations firm Zeno Group, told HR Brew.

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