“Ambitious”, “satisfied”… young people as invested as their elders in their relationship with work, according to a study

Young people less committed to work? Contrary to clichés, a joint study by Apec and the think tank Terra Nova, published Thursday, shows that the relationship to work of those under 30 is almost similar to that of their elders. Proof of stereotypes that are still alive: 93% of managers of all ages believe that young people have a relationship with work “different from that of their elders”, says the study, based on the responses of more than 3,000 young workers under 30 years and more than 2000 active people aged 30 to 65.

For Gilles Gateau, economist and general director of the Association for the Employment of Executives (Apec), “each generation produces this discourse on a youth who has less taste for effort, but added to this the Covid crisis , revealing the challenges to the relationship with work.” However, according to the joint Apec/Terra Nova survey, older people and young people share the same top 3 on “their fundamental expectations towards work”. Among young people, remuneration comes first (55%) closely followed by interest in work (41%).

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Life balance, often seen as central for the younger generation, comes in third place. A concern to which they give “slightly less importance” than their elders: 34% of young workers cite it as one of their main priorities compared to 45% of 45-65 year olds. “What characterizes this generation is its ability to leave a job that does not meet its aspirations, which the previous generation did not have,” observes Gilles Gateau.

Terra Nova and Apec have established six typical profiles among 18-29 year olds based on their social origin and jobs held. More than one in two young people belong to the categories of “ambitious” (39%) and “satisfied” (14%): they have an overall positive relationship with work and are mainly executives. The others are divided between "combative" (20%) and "discouraged" (10%) - those for whom the activity is mainly perceived as "a necessity, even a constraint" - or "wait-and-see" (11%) and " distanced” (6%), for whom work is associated with the idea of ​​“routine”.