Different generations have different strengths and weaknesses.

Gen Z is good with tech, including artificial intelligence, and that is something they may need to help
their older colleagues with.

According to a recent survey conducted by a B2B outreach company Sopro, 93% of younger
individuals between the ages of 16 to 29 have heard of AI, and 78% said they can explain it in some or
complete detail. In contrast, 43% of people at least 70 years old had either never heard of AI or could
not explain what it is at all.

"Younger generations are more accustomed to using technology because it's what they have grown
up with — they have never known the world in any other way," says Rob Harlow, chief innovation
officer at Sopro."And although technology can be difficult for everyone, older generations frequently
find it considerably more daunting."

Still, Gen Z has a reputation for being lazy and disinterested in their careers, indicating there are
areas where this cohort could improve professionally. Forty percent of business leaders believe that
Gen Z is unprepared for the workforce, according to a survey from educational insights resource
Intelligent.com. Additionally, 94% admitted to avoiding hiring recent grads.

Part of this issue stems from the lack of professional development opportunities in remote and hybrid
work settings. Gen Zers were generally born between 1997 and 2012 so the group ranges from
children who are almost entering high school to those who have been in the workforce for a few
years.

For those from Gen Z who are already in the workforce, a significant portion of their careers has been
done remotely due to the pandemic, meaning they have missed out on some experiences that only
come with in-person interactions.

"When the pandemic hit and people went home, people obviously did a good job," says Neil Costa,
founder and CEO of recruitment marketing agency HireClix."But I feel like we've hit the point since
where you can tell that there's like a deficit now in employees that's starting to become obvious when
we want young people to step up and accept more responsibility and they're missing certain things
that were typically developed prior to the pandemic when we're all in the office."

Besides influencing the professional development opportunities of Gen Z, COVID-19 has also
affected their career aspirations. According to the National Society of High School Scholars, medicine
and health-related fields are the most popular professional interests for upcoming talent. That's
followed by engineering, science and government work, such as joining the CIA, the FBI, the National
Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All of these inclinations are a
direct result from some of the biggest cultural events they've faced from a global pandemic to the
upcoming election.

Additionally, 69% of Gen Z want to make enough money to live comfortably, according to data from
workplace insights platform Statista, with 31% saying they want to make a positive impact on the
world or their community — and the intersection of those two findings is what's really defining young
talent.

"We are all a product of the environment we are brought up in," says Jennifer Schielke, CEO and co-
founder of Summit Group Solutions, a relationship-focused IT staffing and recruiting partner."The
bookends currently impressing Gen Z are COVID-19's impact in 2020 to the present and the
uncertain and gloomy global economic forecast of the 2030s. There's no doubt what they've
experienced is driving their steps and internal lenses."

Original Article On Employee Benefit News