Gen Z is optimistic about their careers despite a gap in expectations among employees and employers in the greater workforce, according to Indeed survey data published Thursday.
Why it matters: Gen Z's positivity is unexpected against the backdrop of an entry-level job crisis.
- "It's not that Gen Z has confidence necessarily in the market, but they do have a confidence in their ability to adapt," Kyle M.K., Indeed's senior strategy advisor, tells Axios. "This is a group that — for a majority of their lives — they've seen a lot of disruption."
- "They just have a lot of confidence in themselves to plan accordingly," he adds, "especially as we go through some of this transformative change that we're seeing with AI and the economy."
By the numbers: Gen Z reports a 77% net positive career outlook in the survey. They're followed by 65% of millennials.
- Overall, 59% of job seekers feel confident about achieving their career goals, while 85% of employers anticipate meeting their 2026 talent goals.
What they're saying: Hiring and retention face a perception gap, per Indeed.
- "Confident employers stand on one side of the chasm while cautious workers idle on the other," the report said. "Each is convinced they're doing their best, yet both are still missing the mark."
Friction point: 35% of job seekers cite AI adoption as their top concern — surpassing burnout. But a similar share of employers (40%) say AI adoption is a top 2026 priority.
- Bigger picture, AI is contributing to the "no-hire, no-fire" labor market.
- "It makes sense that employers are equally trying to use AI and that the employees are worried about what that means for their skillsets and their contribution and then their livelihoods, as a result," M.K. says.
Our thought bubble, from Axios' Madison Mills: Data scientists and consultants tell Axios that companies should turn to Gen Z to lead their AI efforts, as young people tend to lead in tech adoption.
- Perhaps instead of fearing the technology, younger people feel confident in their ability to make it work for them rather than replace them.
The intrigue: A majority of job seekers across generations expect more "gig stacking" this year, the survey found.
- Over half of Gen Z have side gigs compared to 21% of boomers and older, Axios' Sami Sparber previously reported.
Threat level: Only 20% of job seekers expect the overall job market to improve in 2026, compared to 50% of employers.
- "Employer optimism can be a blind spot when workers are bracing for risk," the report said.
The bottom line: Organizations that don't address the disconnect between employers and employees, M.K. says, "are going to have a hard time attracting and retaining this younger talent, which makes up a majority of the workforce."
Go deeper: Gen Z is playing the economy like a casino
Methodology: 2,019 job seekers and 1,019 employers were surveyed from Nov. 13 to 18 by Indeed/YouGov. The margin of error is ±2 percentage points for job seekers and ±3 percentage points for employers.
