What Gen Z wants: Fair treatment, new skills and AI top priorities for tomorrow's talent

• Key Insight: Discover how Gen Z priorities are redefining employer value propositions beyond traditional benefits.
• What's at Stake: Failure to adapt risks losing entry-level talent and weakening long-term innovation pipelines.
• Forward Look: Prepare policies clarifying AI's workplace role amid rising privacy and job-impact concerns.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
  

When it comes to what they want from their future workplaces, Gen Z is breaking the mold and pushing for benefits and policies that prioritize them and their futures. 

When asked which benefits matter most, young Gen Z talent — including soon-to-be graduates and early-career professionals — placed traditional perks lower on their list, according to the biannual Gen Z Career Interest Survey from the National Society of High School Scholars. While health coverage (72%) and paid time off or flexible schedules (62%) remain important, most respondents prioritized fair treatment, work–life balance, and corporate social responsibility as the defining qualities they seek in future employers. 

"Todays young people have a different mindset from what they've seen historically coming out of college," said James Lewis, president and co-founder of NSHSS. "This generation was really impacted by COVID and they're seeking the ability to now be in a work environment where they can learn from their employers and have interactions with their managers and role models within these spaces."

Read more: What is 'benefitmaxxing'? The new Gen Z trend impacting employee benefits

These changing mindsets means HR and benefits leaders have to think outside the box, Lewis said. They'll have to develop recruiting strategies that include benefits and workplace policies valued by  young people that think much differently than some of the older employees and managers within the organization. Fortunately, the data speaks to these challenges, Lewis said, with the survey revealing two main areas of focus: an inclusive culture and AI progression. 

"Organizations will need to provide [young people] with enough support and resources where they can see that the companies want to make a difference in both their personal lives and their professional lives," Lewis said. "If a company can reinforce that initiative and encourage that, they'll not only attract this generation, but retain them as well."

Prioritize their values

The first step to attracting this cohort of young talent, according to Lewis, is to consistently communicate across HR materials, social media, internal communications, and even during interviews the values and workplace priorities that matter most to early-career candidates. According to the survey's findings, Gen Z cares the most about gaining skills and professional development, and a positive workplace environment. Organizations will need to include demonstrations of a genuine commitment to work–life balance, flexible benefits, inclusive policies and programs that support diverse future needs, such as comprehensive PTO plans and upskilling and reskilling efforts.

"Leaders are going to have to identify within their own ranks how they're treating their employees fairly," Lewis said. "This means identifying internal employee success stories they could use about creating opportunities for everyone to showcase how they're doing it."

Read more: AI is taking entry-level jobs from Gen Z, stunting business growth

Be transparent about AI initiatives

Prioritizing young employees' values and cultivating an environment they're comfortable in includes formally addressing artificial intelligence. Despite nearly half of young people using AI on a daily or weekly basis, employers don't always recognize that uncertainty around AI is shaping how young people evaluate their career paths and job offers. For example, the majority say that AI will have a more negative than positive impact on society, with that sentiment jumping from 59% in 2024 to 69% in 2026, according to the NSHSS' findings, with 91% thinking that AI will negatively impact their privacy and security in the next 10 years. A priority for young folk will be understanding how AI will impact their work, too. 

"There's so much uncertainty right now while these young people are attending college and trying to decide what sort of profession they want to pursue," Lewis said. "Any opportunity for companies to really put forward a vision on how they'll incorporate tech into those professions and in future strategies will be helpful." 

As students and recent graduates weigh their options, they'll be actively assessing whether workplaces will support their growth in an AI-influenced environment. In response, Lewis suggested clear communication about how AI fits into their long-term strategy and how it will empower rather than replace employees.Organizations that articulate that vision clearly and thoughtfully will be better positioned to attract and retain young talent.

Read more: How millennials and Gen Z are transforming workplace wellbeing benefits

"The ability to understand and attract the best talent really represents the future of any organization," Lewis said. "If they can't have the best young minds forming creative ideas in a changing environment coming into their organizations, how do they build a robust and sustainable brand? I don't want to say they'll go away completely, but we'll definitely see them shrink."

Though it will be a significant lift for organizations, the investment in young professionals is well worth it, Lewis said. Gen Z brings a problem-solving mindset shaped by growing up in fast-moving, complex environments, allowing them to juggle multiple challenges and generate quick, creative solutions. Employers should want to harness that potential any way they can.

"When you think about the world and how it's changing, HR and benefit leaders are going to have to think differently and consider initiatives they may not have been able to in the past," Lewis said. "Having an open mind, identifying young talent's needs, and keeping them motivated is going to take a new mindset."