You young people behave as if you are divinely chosen, yet you have never rolled up your sleeves – this is a phrase that raises the hair on the heads of younger generations in the labor market, namely Generation Z and younger millennials. How could it not, when it is said by those who raised them, and now they are a nuisance in the labor market because they have not gone through the same struggles as their predecessors. Perhaps the youth are exactly as they are because they have observed their parents and now view corporate culture, work, and money differently. At least that is what one member of Generation Z told us in an informal conversation.
– My parents spent their entire working lives in one company. They used to work up to twelve hours a day, and everything they did benefited, of course, their employer. That is why I do not like corporations and generally working for someone else – says B. J., a member of Generation Z, adding that he plans to focus on entrepreneurship in the near future because, he emphasizes, he would rather struggle for something of his own than for someone else’s.
Another member of Generation Z (R. K.) has also ventured into entrepreneurship, noting that he did not start a business to get rich, but because it was the best way to translate his personality into a physical product on the market.
– There was not much thought about the consequences, I did not go into debt nor did my projects require large initial capital, just a lot of effort, work, and creativity. This is the main reason why I will always have an entrepreneurial spirit and develop various projects – because it is the best way to express myself. I love finding balance in chaos, uncertainty does not bother me, and I am prone to taking risks. Precisely because most are not like that, I know that with enough perseverance, I never have to worry that it will not pay off – explains R. K.
Business, Not Career
These Gen Z individuals are not the only ones who believe that entrepreneurship is the right path for them. According to data from Coolest Gadgets, a company that analyzes data from the world of electronics, technology, innovative applications, and market trends, nearly 78 percent of Generation Z believes that starting their own business is the best direction for their career.
What has influenced such a significant shift among generations and why are, at least according to all available data, younger generations more inclined to the riskier path – that of entrepreneurship – we asked local experts. First of all, Lider contacted a total of 14 sociologists from various institutes and faculties whom we assessed to have sufficient experience working with youth, of which even ten responded that the ‘topic is not close to them’, meaning they do not deal with Generation Z. Three declined to comment on this article due to other obligations, and only the head of the Sociology Department at the Catholic University of Croatia, Associate Professor Dr. Ivana Brstilo Lovrić, provided us with her comment.
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