Gen Z Job Tenure Shrinks as Entry-Level Roles Decline, Randstad Report Finds

Gen Z is entering the workforce with strong clarity about long-term career goals, yet staying in jobs for far shorter periods than previous generations. According to Randstad’s Gen Z Workplace Blueprint report, average tenure for Gen Z in their first five years of work stands at just 1.1 years, compared to 1.8 years for millennials and nearly three years for Gen X and baby boomers at similar stages.
The report, based on a survey of 11,250 workers and analysis of 126 million job postings worldwide, highlights a labour market undergoing rapid restructuring driven by artificial intelligence. While 85 per cent of Gen Z globally consider long-term career goals when evaluating roles—the highest among all generations—54 per cent are actively looking for new jobs, and one in three plans to leave within a year.
In India, the contrast is especially striking. About 77 per cent of Gen Z workers describe their current role as a “dream job,” well above the global average of 58 per cent. Yet 37 per cent still expect to exit within a year, reflecting a disconnect between aspiration and opportunity rather than dissatisfaction alone.
A key factor behind this churn is the sharp decline in entry-level opportunities. Job postings requiring zero to two years of experience have fallen by 29 percentage points since January 2024, while roles needing three to five years’ experience declined by 14 percentage points. In contrast, positions requiring over a decade of experience have remained stable or grown. In technology—the most sought-after sector for Gen Z—junior roles dropped by 35 percentage points, while finance saw a 24-point fall. Healthcare was the only major sector to buck the trend, driven by demand for frontline roles.
This erosion of traditional entry pathways is creating what the report describes as a “vanishing ladder,” where early-career workers struggle to gain experience even as employers demand it. Nearly half of Gen Z respondents said they had been rejected for roles due to lack of skills, despite 79 per cent believing they learn new skills quickly. At the same time, 41 per cent expressed low confidence in finding another job—the highest level of self-doubt among all generations.
AI plays a dual role in this shift. While 58 per cent of Gen Z are optimistic about AI’s potential at work and 55 per cent already use it for problem-solving, 46 per cent are concerned about its impact on their careers. The anxiety reflects reality: automation has replaced many tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees. Access to AI training is also uneven, with gaps across job types and gender, raising concerns about widening inequality within the generation.
The report also notes changing attitudes to employment structures. Only 45 per cent of Gen Z work in a single full-time role, and just 24 per cent say that is their ideal arrangement. Many prefer combining full-time work with side hustles, viewing diversified income and skills as a hedge against instability.
Despite declining entry-level roles, Gen Z continues to migrate towards technology careers. Some are bypassing traditional junior positions altogether by leveraging self-taught skills and AI familiarity to enter mid-level roles, creating a divide between those able to adapt quickly and those locked out of the system.
Randstad’s findings suggest that Gen Z’s short job tenures are less about impatience and more about structural change. With limited progression visibility and shrinking learning opportunities, staying longer in a role may offer diminishing returns. As a result, Gen Z demonstrates loyalty through performance rather than tenure—continuing to deliver while preparing for the next move.
The report concludes that both employers and workers face unresolved challenges. Organisations must rethink slow, tenure-based career models, while Gen Z increasingly treats career management as a core skill. Whether the labour market can adapt quickly enough to harness the generation’s ambition remains an open question.
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