While many industries in the private sector have embraced workforce flexibility and frequent job changes, public sector careers have mostly retained incentives for longer tenure, including pensions. While at first glance this may not seem like an advantage for attracting and retaining a Gen Z workforce now famous for “job hopping” and “fearless quitting,” the more traditional model of employee retention still embraced in the public sector may uniquely appeal to the digital natives in today’s workforce.
Public Sector Appeal
To understand why public sector careers may offer unique appeal to Gen Z, it’s essential to understand that the generation’s penchant for job hopping and fearless quitting comes not from a desire for frequent change to get ahead, but from disappointment in firms’ unwillingness to invest in employees for the long haul. Gen Z employees become frustrated when paths for advancement and compensation are unclear, the training they receive is not transferable, and their personal mission and values do not align with their work.