Arbeitsmarkt: Von wegen faul: Generation Z arbeitet häufiger als alle Vorgänger

A recent study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) has revealed that Generation Z is working more frequently than any previous generation. The study, which analyzed the employment status of this generation based on the Mikrozensus, found that the employment rate of individuals aged 20 to 24 increased by 7.1 percentage points between 2015 and 2025, reaching 76.8% in the latter year.

This trend continued even during the most recent economic crisis, with the employment rate among younger workers rising by an additional 0.9 percentage points since 2023.

The researchers Timon Hellwagner and Enzo Weber emphasized that the rise in labor market participation among young adults since 2015 has been "remarkably significant." While the 25 to 64 age group continued its decade-long upward trend, their increase in labor market participation was only 3.1 percentage points between 2015 and 2025, compared to the 0.4 percentage points increase in the younger group from 2023 to 2025.

The researchers attributed the long-term trend towards more work primarily to increasing labor market participation among women and older individuals. The year 2015 was chosen as the starting point for this study, as it marked the entry of the first generation Z cohort (defined as those born between 1995 and 2010) into the 20 to 24 age group.

This generation is often described as particularly focused on achieving a healthy work-life balance and willing to put in extra effort at work, although they also recognize the importance of maintaining this balance.

Generation Z is equally distributed across various professions, with the majority working in sectors such as hospitality and food services, as well as retail. However, a substantial portion of their work is done through part-time jobs, often while studying. Young people are also underrepresented in leadership and organizational roles, as well as in company-related service professions, which can be explained by the requirement of prior work experience for these positions.

Despite this, some experts argue that young people do not consider themselves lazy, and in fact, they work more in full-time positions than previous generations did at the same age.