Generation Game #5 – Employment
Welcome to Finder's Generation Game – a weekly series looking at how each generation compares when it comes to the big personal finance topics.
Fancy yourself a generation genius? See if you can predict which generation comes out on top with our interactive quizzes.
Whether you're passionate about what you do for a living or just looking to make ends meet, the need for employment is a constant across generations.
But what are the generational attitudes to working, especially in terms of more modern developments like remote working and side hustles?
Dialling in
Covid changed the way we do a lot of things, but arguably none more so than our approach to work.
But which generation is still reaping the biggest benefit from remote working?
Submit your guess above.
The results
It's millennials that you're most likely to find working outside the office, with 44% having worked remotely sometime in the last year.
A mere 6% of boomers have worked remotely, but this jumps to 27% for gen x and 36% for gen z.
It's gen z that are the biggest jet-setting generation, with 9% having worked from overseas at some stage in the last year.
Home sweet home
The ability to work from home has been one of the unexpected boons of Covid for millions of people.
But which generation is most likely to report they work more productively from the comforts of their own home?
Submit your guess above.
The results
It may have been characterised as the domain of the younger generations, but it's actually boomers who are the most likely to say they work more effectively from home.
More than a third (35%) report they're more productive at home, followed by gen x on 29%. Only 22% of millennials and 19% of gen z believe they're better workers out of the office.
7% of gen z also report they get no work done at home, but this drops to (a frankly unbelievable) 0% for boomers.
Keep hustling
Passive income streams and side hustles are hardly a new invention, but which generation is the most likely to have taken on a second job in order to make ends meet?
Submit your guess above.
The results
Widely derided for their poor work ethic, in reality gen z are up to 12 times more likely than their elders to have taken on another job or extra shifts to make ends meet.
Only 1% of boomers, 6% of gen x and 9% of millennials have had to do the same.
AI assistance
Nothing has dominated the cultural conversation in recent months quite like the advent of AI.
But which generation is already putting the nascent technology to use in the workplace?
Submit your guess above.
The results
It's no shock to see it's the youngest generation that are leading the way on adopting the latest trend. 11% of gen z and 7% of millennials say they have used ChatGPT for their work, as have 2% of gen x.
A remarkable 0% of boomers report using ChatGPT for work. Maybe they need to get with the program. Or in a reference they'll better understand - "the times they are a-changin'."
That's it for this week's Generation Game. Come back next week for another chance to test your knowledge.
