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Conventional wisdom paints Gen Z candidates as especially idealistic — that they’re more “purpose-driven” than previous generations, more concerned with making an “impact,” and more likely to prioritize their “personal values” when choosing an employer. 

The conventional wisdom is wrong. 

In fact, the exact opposite is true: Baby Boomers, the oldest generation in the workforce, are the most likely to prioritize their impact and personal values. 

That’s according to over 14,000 workers around the world surveyed by LinkedIn in February 2024. People were asked to select their top factors when considering a new job; just 19% of Gen Z would prioritize “a company driven by values that match your own,” compared with 34% of Baby Boomers. Put differently, that means Boomers are 75% more likely than Zoomers to prioritize their own personal values when choosing a job. 

In contrast, Gen Z is much more likely to prioritize opportunities to advance their careers and develop new skills — as LinkedIn’s new Future of Recruiting 2024 report discusses in detail.  

Let’s take a deeper dive into this new survey data to see:

Which priorities tend to become more important as candidates ageWhich priorities tend to become less important as candidates age Which priorities are seen as the most important overall, regardless of age

You’ll find that while these results might buck the conventional wisdom, they still make a lot of common sense. 

Older candidates care more about their impact and personal values

First, let’s briefly discuss how this survey works — and why it might conflict with other stats you’ve seen before. Respondents were given a list of 15 employer value propositions (also called EVPs) and were asked to select up to five of the most important factors they weigh when considering a new job. 

In other words, this survey constrained people, forcing them to prioritize and make hard choices, just like real life. So, while you might find surveys claiming that “most” Zoomers prefer an employer who shares their values, it doesn’t actually mean they’d prioritize that over other competing factors.

With that in mind, let’s turn to the data:

When push comes to shove, older candidates were consistently more likely to prioritize factors like impact (“challenging and impactful work”), culture (“a collaborative company culture”), and mission (“company driven by values that match your own”). 

Why? As we said, it does make common sense: Older generations are more likely to have established their careers and built a respectful nest egg — they have the latitude and luxury to pursue their passions and prioritize their personal values. 

Maybe Gen Z and younger generations are more vocal about social issues; maybe they elevate different issues, or express their concerns in a different way than older generations would. 

But none of that implies that they’re overly idealistic or disconnected from reality — on the contrary, Gen Z’s most unique priorities are rooted in the concrete reality of their economic livelihoods and long-term earning potential. 

Younger candidates care more about advancement, upskilling, and job security

As highlighted in LinkedIn’s new Future of Recruiting 2024 report, Gen Z is considerably more likely to prioritize factors like advancement (“opportunities for career growth within the company”), security (“job security”), and upskilling (“opportunities to learn new, highly desired skills”) — especially when compared with Baby Boomers.

In fact, Zoomers and Millennials were more than twice as likely as Boomers to prioritize advancement. Again, this makes a good amount of common sense: While the youngest generations have the majority of their career ahead of them, the oldest generations are on the back half. It’s only natural that career growth and skill development matter more to younger people. 

Job security, though, might seem like a strange priority, given how Gen Z and Millennials have gotten a reputation as serial job-hoppers. It may make more sense in light of recent volatility (where entry-level hires are often among the first affected by layoffs) and the simple fact that economic pressures hit these two generations harder. If you’re hard-pressed and highly motivated by money, then prioritizing job security and job-hopping for better pay are both reasonable, rational behaviors. 

Compensation, work-life balance, and flexibility are the top factors across all ages

All this said, it’s crucial to remember that we’ve been highlighting which priorities change the most with age — that is, where we see the biggest trending differences across generations. When it comes to the most important priorities overall, the generations share much more in common.

When considering all candidates, regardless of age, the top priorities are compensation (“excellent compensation and benefits”), balance (“organizational support to balance work and personal life”), and flexibility (“flexible work arrangements around when and where you work”).

Gen Zers, Millennials, and Gen Xers all share the exact same top three priorities, and in the exact same order. Only Baby Boomers buck the trend: Impact is actually their second-highest priority, followed by flexibility in third place and work-life balance in fourth. 

At first glance, this chart seems to follow the same pattern we saw in the last section: Younger workers generally care about these top priorities more than older workers. But while the priorities in our previous section consistently peaked with Gen Z and gradually decreased with each generation, the top priorities here actually all peak with Millennials. 

Perhaps that’s because they’re facing greater pressure overall in regards to their finances, personal time, and physical presence. More than other generations, Millennials may be pursuing home-ownership, raising young children, or caring for aging parents, often all at the same time. 

If that trend holds true over the next several years, one might expect these three priorities to gradually become more important to Gen Z and less important to Gen X. Of course, as we just saw, it’s best not to rely on assumptions — so we’ll keep a close eye on the data and continue to let you know what it means for you. 

Final thoughts

For talent professionals hoping to hire or retain any particular generation, it’s crucial to understand that generational stereotypes often fall apart under close scrutiny. Instead, data-driven insights reveal a more nuanced picture. 

Recognizing the unique priorities of each generation — from Baby Boomers’ emphasis on personal values to Gen Z’s focus on career advancement and skill development — can help shape more effective and targeted recruitment and talent strategies. 

Ultimately, it’s about acknowledging and respecting individuals’ priorities. Just as generations are more nuanced than conventional wisdom gives them credit for, so too are individuals infinitely more nuanced than any generalization — even those that are data-driven. 

Methodology

In the LinkedIn Talent Drivers survey, members are asked to select up to five of the most important factors for them when they consider a new job, out of a list of 15 different factors. This analysis is based on over 14,000 survey responses in February 2024 from around the world, including over 2,600 Gen Z respondents, over 5,800 Millennial respondents, over 4,200 Gen X respondents, and over 1,100 Baby Boomer respondents.

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