Gen Z puts pay and job security ahead of workplace purpose

By Priya Raman

A survey of 1,059 working Australians aged 18 to 29 found that 72% put pay that keeps pace with living costs among their three most important job factors, ahead of job security at 57% and learning and career development at 47%.

The findings, published in What Gen Z Workers Want 2026 – Australia, put compensation, payroll administration and retention at the center of employer decisions about younger staff. YouGov collected online responses from 13 to 24 August 2026; ThinkerTank designed and analyzed the study, which payroll platform Deel commissioned.

What do 18- to 29-year-olds value in a job?

Flexibility over hours and location, and work aligned with personal values, each drew 44%, while having a good manager ranked last at 36%. When respondents could select only one factor, 37% chose pay, 18% chose job security and 13% chose values-aligned work. The authors describe the result as pragmatic rather than values-led.

Women leaned slightly harder toward pay, at 74% versus 71% of men. Men placed greater weight on job security, 61% compared with 52% of women, while women were more likely to value having a good manager, 39% against 33%.

Does payroll performance match the priority?

Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 73%, had experienced payroll or administrative friction. Twenty-eight percent had been paid late and 23% had found a mistake in their pay; 45% of workers paid late had also found an error.

Part-time workers reported worse outcomes: 37% had been paid late and 29% had found errors, compared with 23% and 20% of full-time workers. The findings point directly to payslip accuracy, timely payment and personal-data controls.

Other process failures added friction: 29% had printed, signed and scanned a document, 24% had provided the same personal information twice, and 20% had waited too long for an expense refund.

What keeps younger workers worried?

Eighty-five percent carried at least one workplace worry. Financial instability led at 48%, followed by burnout at 37%, no clear career path at 29% and fear of becoming stuck at 27%. AI reducing the value of their skills and feeling unvalued or unheard each registered 23%.

Women reported at least one worry more often than men, 90% versus 81%. Women cited financial instability more often, 53% versus 44% of men, while burnout affected 41% and 33%, respectively. The report also cites Ipsos’ August 2026 Issues Monitor, which placed cost of living atop concerns for Australians aged 18 and over.

Why are so many looking for extra income?

Thirty-nine percent did paid work outside their main job: 20% mainly for money and 19% mainly for enjoyment. Another 33% had no side job but wanted one, putting the combined figure at 72%; 28% wanted no side work.

Twenty-six percent named self-employment as their ideal route, which the authors link to autonomy. Men were more likely to already have a side job, 43% versus 34% of women; women were more likely to seek one, 37% versus 30% of men.

The report cites Oxford Economics research commissioned by Snap projecting Gen Z could make up almost one-third of the OECD workforce by 2030. Deel regional enterprise leader Shannon Karaka said: “If workplaces are going to attract and retain young people, they need to understand the fundamentals of what motivates them.”

Which employer and future do they prefer?

A large, established company led ideal-employer choices at 37%, ahead of self-employment at 26%, government or the public sector at 15%, and small companies or start-ups at 13%. Charities and non-profits drew 4%, equal to family businesses, a weak result for a not-for-profit sector seeking talent.

Over the next decade, 68% wanted financial security and 53% wanted to own a home. Some 37% wanted to become experts in their fields, 35% wanted work they could leave the office for, and 16% wanted to work in another country.

Does management or advancement retain them?

Only 24% included leading a team as a manager in their 10-year goals, leaving 76% without that goal. The rate fell to 18% among women, versus 29% among men; the report links this to a global pattern in Deloitte’s 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey.

Thirty-one percent said they gave everything to advance where they were, and 15% gave everything without chasing progression. Another 27% performed well within their hours, 9% did what was asked, and 19% wanted out, including 13% actively job hunting.

Full-time workers were more likely to give everything than part-timers, 53% versus 32%. Part-timers were twice as likely to be job hunting, 20% versus 10%. Workers in households earning $50,000-$99,000 were 2.4 times as likely to want to leave as those earning above $150,000, 24% versus 10%.

Forty-five percent believe their generation is seen as entitled and lazy, and 60% feel expected to be grateful for having a job. The report cautions that promotion alone may not motivate this group, pointing instead to recognition, better pay and development outside the promotion ladder as potential retention levers.

What should employers ask about workplace AI?

Only 33% said AI tools made them more productive, and 27% said none of the survey’s workplace-AI statements applied. In Singapore, the report found 49% reporting productivity gains and 9% disengaged. Reliance concerned 20%, slightly more than the 17% who feared AI would make their jobs less secure.

A quarter used AI on personal devices for work, 13% used it more than their employer knew, and only 7% said their employer monitored their use. That visibility gap creates adoption, security and compliance questions for HR teams, especially where confidential data or unmanaged tools enter workplace workflows.

As Gen Z approaches an estimated one-third of the OECD workforce by 2030, employers will need to test whether payroll reliability, job security, career paths and AI governance match what younger workers actually value.