Employers are Firing Gen Z Graduates and Don’t Plan on Hiring More

Companies are hiring and firing Gen Z graduates faster than ever, creating a very miserable work experience for everyone involved. The rapid firing of Gen Z in multiple companies is not surprising as employers have spent the last few years complaining about how this particular group of employees is hard to work with, but the scale at which this is occurring does not set a good precedent for the future of work. 

The Gen Z mass firing was revealed in a recent survey that showed that six in ten employers have already fired college graduates who were hired this year. One in seven of these employers also claim that they will refrain from hiring similar recent college graduates next year as well. 

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Employers are Firing Gen Z Graduates At an Alarming Pace

According to a survey by Intelligent, 75% of companies reported that some or all of the recent college graduates they had hired this year were unsatisfactory. Companies are quickly firing these Gen Z workers because they feel these employees are “unprepared for the workforce, can’t handle the workload, and are unprofessional.” These complaints have been levied against the group for the last few years but so far, managers have been able to work around the problem rather than eliminating the workers.

The primary reason for the rapid firing of Gen Z in companies is said to be lack of motivation among the employees—50% of respondents cited this as the main reason. The other factors include lack of professionalism, poor organizational skills, poor communication skills, challenges with accepting feedback, lack of relevant work experience, and poor problem-solving skills. 

The dearth of technical skills, poor cultural fit, and difficulty with working in a team were a few of the less cited reasons on the list. Furthermore, 79% of employers claimed that they had ordered these employees to be placed under performance improvement plans while 60% of them admitted to eventually firing them.

It can be natural for new workers to struggle with adapting to the workforce. Across borders and over generations, workers have always had to face a learning curve while shifting from the education sphere to the work sphere. Familiarizing oneself with the work environment can feel challenging at first, but with practice, most employees are able to merge into the work setting efficiently. 

It is quite shocking to hear that employees have been struggling to fit into such a degree that firing these Gen Z graduates is the only option left to them. Hiring managers have reported that many of them are entitled and easily offended, which may be true, but may also be a result of the generation of workers speaking up about their preferences rather than silently struggling like the rest of us have learned to do. Either way, there appears to be a clear divide between employees and employees.

These workers have also been accused of unprofessional behavior from dressing unprofessionally to coming in late to work. Are Gen Z employees truly underprepared for the workforce? Some blame their own attitudes while others blame the education system. The truth is that these employees need to take charge of their own preparation for the workforce and develop the soft skills and qualifications necessary to do their jobs well.

The Gen Z Mass Firing Issue Can Only Be Resolved by the Generation Itself

The older generation in the workforce, Gen X, is nearing retirement age and many of them may start opting for early retirement and moving out of the workforce. This will create at least a few gaps in their respective organizations, and millennials will look to receive promotions to fill those spots.

While there will be a sufficient number of other millennials to take on the roles they will vacate, what about the fresher jobs? Older Gen Z workers may be willing to fill in those positions temporarily, but organizations that want to fill internships and other beginner positions will have to give new Gen Z graduates another chance.

This means that the responsibility for some amount of the training for these unprepared workers will fall to the employers themselves. Whether it’s to help employees with basic on-the-job etiquette or more advanced AI training, if employers want employees to be prepared, they will have to find reliable candidates who are willing to learn and grow, and train them directly.

Gen Z graduates who do not want to be rapidly fired from their companies will have to learn to adapt quickly. There are multiple guides available online on how to prepare for the workforce and these can provide a quick intro into the world of “professionalism.” These employees have to learn to take initiative for their work and their careers and show employers why they belong in the workforce.

Having demands and preferences is a personal choice but those unwilling to compromise on any grounds will continue to have a hard time finding employment. The Gen Z population will also have to work on critical skills like time management, decision-making, conflict resolution, and other basic skills, even if their education institutions did not cover these details. 

Finding a personal mentor or senior in the industry to discuss key skills is a great idea for those who do not want to rely on the blogs that Google offers to them. Studies like this one, explaining how and why Gen Z employees get fired so quickly are an essential part of the trends they need to keep an eye on, following which they can eventually evolve to ensure they do not become a part of these negative statistics.

Colleges have begun doing their bit to assist their graduates with being more prepared for the workforce but at the end of the day, it is the Gen Z workers who will best be able to help themselves. 

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