June 2025
The crackdown on immigrants is already causing ripples in the labor force, with a drop in one million foreign born employees or prospective employees from March to May. As immigration policy becomes a major concern amongst workers and employers, leaders should prepare strategies to survive the inevitable workplace volatility. (The Wall Street Journal)
Entry-level jobs are under existential threat at a time when much of Gen Z is joining the workforce. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts that half of all white collar entry-level positions could be replaced by AI in the next five years. Instead of capitulating to an Asimovian future, leaders could advocate for harnessing AI’s power to boost employee productivity and not replace employees. (Fortune)
Worker tension surrounding a New England grocery chain is revealing how Gen Z’s loyalty is not inherited, but rather conditional. Market Basket workers are less concerned about the tenuous grasp of their CEO on the company and more concerned about their coworkers, vulnerable customers, and fair wages. Companies will do well to recognize that this generation’s loyalty lies not with legacies, but with principles. (Fast Company)
Here for business or leisure? Why not both? Many Gen Z and millennial employees are partaking in “bleisure” or “blended travel,” bringing friends and family along on work trips. A recent survey stated that 74% of employees would do the same, and 1 in 5 already have without telling their supervisor. Fostering travel policies that encourage cultural enrichment and personal relationships could potentially have a better ROI than more restrictive travel policies. (Business Insider)
Parents and high school students are largely unaware of what options lay ahead of high school, besides the typical choices of college or entering the workforce. Only 30% of parents of Gen Zers are having regular discussions about post-graduation steps, and less than 20% of Gen Z are aware of alternatives such as apprenticeships, military service, or entrepreneurship. Institutions and older generations need to abandon the dusty binary of ‘college or career’ and prepare prospective workers for the complexity of the modern world. (Gallup)
The vicious coalescence of wage stagnation, job insecurity, and lack of mobility have workers burning out and detaching. Employees’ confidence in their companies’ six-month outlook has reached an all-time low. Only 44% of workers have a positive attitude about their workplace’s future. Leaders should prepare for retention challenges as job disruption is normalized. (Newsweek)
In the era of “soft-living,” 58% of adults are prioritizing wellness more than they did a year ago. Rather than a trend, this is a core lifestyle value to millennials and Gen Zers, who understand that a career path does not have to come at the cost of well-being. Employers could benefit from thinking of employee wellness as not only a necessity, but also a strategic advantage. (Forbes)