How to attract a multi-generational workforce: what every employer needs to know
Four generations are in the UK workforce at once, and they don't want the same things from a job. Between 15 November and 31 December 2024 we surveyed 284 UK workers, with Personnel Today and our sister brand Gerrard White, to find out what actually attracts each generation to a role, a company and a package, and where they look for their next job. The full report is free to download at the end. Here's what it found.
Five things the survey told us
Employer brand matters more with every younger generation: Around 60% of Gen Z rated the employer brand very important to job attraction, against roughly 56% of Millennials, 48% of Gen X and 32% of Baby Boomers. Company reputation was rated crucial by every generation, Baby Boomers most of all at around 80%.
Progression beats salary for the under-45s: Career progression was the single most important factor for Gen Z and Millennials, rated crucial by roughly 86% and 80%. For Gen X and Baby Boomers a high salary ranked higher than progression. For businesses under pressure from employer National Insurance rises, that's useful news.
Paid time off is the deal-maker for Gen X: Over 70% of Gen X and Millennials rated paid time off a critical part of the package, closely followed by Gen Z; Baby Boomers valued it less. Gen X also put the most weight on hybrid working, around 70%, and flexible hours, which fits a generation at the age of parenting and caring.
Baby Boomers are the most open to an offer: They had the fewest "critical" factors of any generation and rated most things somewhat important rather than essential, which suggests a more open mind about job offers than employers tend to assume.
Everyone judges you on the job description and the interviewer: A clear job description was rated very important by well over half of every generation, and the interviewer by over three-quarters of Gen X and Millennials. Whatever else differs, a vague advert and a poor interview lose candidates of every age.
Whatever else differs, a vague advert and a poor interview lose candidates of every age. How to state the working pattern in an advert, and what it does to applications and offers, is in our post on office policy, applications and retention.
Gen Z (born 1997 to 2012)
What attracts them: Employer brand, a clear job description and the interview experience. They rely on recruitment agencies and on the opinions of friends and family more than older generations, and they check a company's ethics on LinkedIn before they apply.
What they want from the company: Career progression above everything, then flexible hours, company reputation, a visible commitment to diversity (around 46%, the highest of any generation) and wellness programmes (around 40%, also the highest). Hybrid working matters less to them than to any other group.
What they want in the package: Progression and paid time off. A high salary was critical for around half, the lowest of any generation, and bonuses for fewer than a third.
Where to find them: Professional networks first, around 63%, then job boards and employer outreach events. They look at social media posts more than anyone, though social media was the least used channel for every generation.
Millennials (born 1981 to 1996)
What attracts them: Employer brand and a clear job description, with the interviewer rated very important by over three-quarters. Peer and family opinions still count.
What they want from the company: Career progression, hybrid working (around 74%, the highest of any generation), flexible hours (around 75%, also the highest) and a good company reputation. Diversity and wellness matter, a little less than for Gen Z. They're the generation most interested in social opportunities at work.
What they want in the package: Progression and paid time off, both over 70%, and they placed the most weight of any generation on working for an employer they see as ethical. They also value a range of benefits, salary and bonuses.
Where to find them: Friend referrals, over 40% and the highest of any generation, alongside professional networks and job boards. They'll read your Glassdoor reviews.
Gen X (born 1965 to 1980)
What attracts them: The interviewer (around 76%), the employer brand and a clear job description. Friends' opinions matter less to them than to younger groups.
What they want from the company: Career progression (around 67%) and company reputation, with hybrid working and flexible hours close behind. Social opportunities at work rank low. What that flexibility does to hiring and retention on the employer side is in our working policy survey of 116 insurers.
What they want in the package: Paid time off above everything, then a high salary (around 69%, the highest of any generation), bonuses (around 57%) and health insurance. Gen X are the generation with family responsibilities, and the package they want reflects it.
Where to find them: Professional networks, job boards and employer brand campaigns. Referrals and social media matter less.
Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964)
What attracts them: A clear job description and a good interview. They rely least on outside opinions, agencies, friends or family.
What they want from the company: Company reputation, which around 80% rated crucial. Progression, diversity, wellness and social opportunities all rank low, and hybrid working and flexible hours are less critical than for younger groups. What they want is stability and financial security.
What they want in the package: A pension or retirement plan and health insurance are their top priorities, followed by bonuses, paid time off and a range of benefits. Ethical work perception matters least to them of any generation.
Where to find them: Job board advertising and employer brand campaigns, somewhat. Social media and professional networks are their least used channels, and they place little weight on referrals.
What this means for your hiring
A single job advert, a single package and a single message won't reach four generations. The report's suggestion is to think in package values rather than a fixed salary: offer new joiners a choice of how the same value is made up, so a Gen X hire can weigh paid time off and health cover while a Gen Z hire weights progression and flexibility, at equal cost to you. Alongside that: audit the age profile of your teams and your last twelve months of hiring for patterns you didn't intend; read your careers page and adverts for generational bias; make sure interview panels aren't all one age; and train hiring managers on what each group is listening for. Above all, invest in the two things every generation agreed on: a clear job description and a good interviewer. If your employer brand or your candidate experience isn't ready for that, start there.
Age is just one dimension; for the process changes that widen the door for everyone, see inclusive hiring: where an inclusive workplace begins.
About the research
An online survey conducted by Vermelo between 15 November and 31 December 2024, with respondents invited by Personnel Today, Gerrard White and Vermelo. 284 people completed it: Baby Boomers 11%, Gen X 38%, Millennials 36% and Gen Z 15%, against an estimated UK working population of 11%, 35%, 38% and 16%. Generations are used to indicate life and career stage rather than exact dates of birth, and the findings are trends to inform discussion, not rules about individuals.
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The generations survey, answered
Gen Z, and the importance falls with each older generation. In our survey around 60% of Gen Z respondents rated the employer brand as very important to job attraction, against roughly 56% of Millennials, 48% of Gen X and 32% of Baby Boomers. Company reputation, a related but broader question, was rated crucial by every generation, with Baby Boomers the highest at around 80%. The practical difference is where each group looks: Gen Z check LinkedIn and social media for evidence that a business's ethics match their values; Millennials read reviews on sites like Glassdoor; older candidates take the reputation as read and judge you on the job description and the interview.
Yes, clearly. Around 80% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents rated career progression a critical part of the package, against roughly 52% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials for a high salary. For Gen X and Baby Boomers it reverses: a high salary was critical for around 69% of Gen X and 52% of Baby Boomers, with career progression lower on their list. The lesson for employers under cost pressure is that a credible progression story, with examples, is worth more to younger candidates than another few thousand pounds, provided the salary is fair to begin with.
Professional networks such as LinkedIn work for everyone and best of all for Gen Z, around 63% of whom rated them an important way to find roles. Friend referrals matter most to Millennials, at over 40%, and least to Gen Z. Job boards are read by Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z but barely by Baby Boomers, at around 12%. Employer outreach events and employer brand campaigns register mainly with Gen Z. And social media posts were the least used channel for every generation, even though Gen Z look at them more than anyone else, so treat them as brand evidence rather than a place to advertise a job.