Gen Z does not dream of labor

For decades, wo rk has been --- and continues to be --- a major aspect of the American identity. "Most people identify themselves as workers," said Damaske. "It's an identity that adults willingly take on."  The pandemic changed that for everyone, not just the youngest workers. In addition to reassessing their relationship to work, people are ... See more

Carson doesn't think that most zoomers are actually anti-work, at least from a political perspective. In fact, she said, she thinks it's the opposite: She has noticed more young people publicly committing to quit an undesirable job so that they can devote more time to learning new skills, in the hopes of entering a field like tech, which boasts hig... See more

What sets zoomers apart, according to common narratives, is their determination to be fulfilled and defined by other aspects of life. They expect employers to recognize that and promote policies and benefits that encourage work-life balance.

"It's not necessarily that different generations hold different attitudes about work," Damaske argued. "For millennials and for some members of Gen Z, they've witnessed two recessions, back-to-back. This is a very different labor market experience than what their parents and grandparents encountered."

the Great Resignation has inspired a generation of workers to speak critically --- and cynically --- about the role of labor in their lives. As a result, zoomers (and millennials, to an extent) have been touted, perhaps undeservedly, as beacons of anti-capitalism and pivotal figures in the nationwide quitting spree.

"We really have seen an erosion in the employer-employee contract over the last 40 years," she said. "Why are young people being asked to make commitments to employers who no longer uphold their end of the bargain? Young workers don't get to work for a company until they retire. Those kinds of practices don't happen anymore."

One human resources manager called it the "Great Reflection," wherein people are "taking stock of what they want out of a job, what they want out of employment, and what they want out of their life."

Over the past two years, young millennials and members of Gen Z have created an abundance of memes and pithy commentary about their generational disillusionment toward work. The jokes, which correspond with the rise of anti-work ideology online, range from shallow and shameless ("Rich housewife is the goal") to candid and pessimistic.

American workers across various ages, industries, and income brackets have experienced heightened levels of fatigue, burnout, and general dissatisfaction toward their jobs since the pandemic's start. The difference is, more young people are airing these indignations and jaded attitudes on the internet, often to viral acclaim.