Majority of US Gen Z healthcare workers eye new jobs within the year, survey shows

A majority of Generation Z healthcare workers in the United States are considering new job opportunities within the next year, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Despite this intention to explore new roles, 65% of these young healthcare professionals expressed a desire to remain with a single employer for five years or more, highlighting a potential challenge in retention for U.S. healthcare employers who anticipate a shortage of nearly 500,000 workers by 2038.

The survey, conducted by Harris Poll for education services company Strategic Education and Workforce Edge, found that job stability was highly important to this demographic. Across all age groups, 59% of healthcare workers anticipated seeking a new job within the year. The survey suggests that career advancement may be a significant factor driving turnover among younger workers, with 48% of surveyed employers citing a lack of career growth or training as the primary reason employees leave.

Only about a quarter of employees, however, expressed trust in their employer's commitment to their future development. Furthermore, employers are also reevaluating the importance of artificial intelligence skills in workforce planning, with 79% indicating that AI proficiency would be critical for employees to remain competitive, a decrease from 89% a year earlier.