Gen Z in the job market

High school students have always had the world at their fingertips. As they have grown up, technology has continued to advance. Now that they can find everything with a click of a button on their phones, how does that affect their interaction with other people? Would this along with the advancement of technology also affect the job market?

Generation Z is the term used for the generation born from 1995 onward, with older generations before them being called Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, etc. The biggest difference between Generation Z and other generations is that Generation Z was the first generation that grew up with the internet. This has affected the generation today, as many are told they are on their phones/electronics too much and do not spend enough time interacting with people. 

“Electronics are a blessing because everyone is connected, but they also hurt connections because we spend time on them and don’t talk to each other face to face,” said Delaney Hoke, a sophomore at Eagan High School.

We talked with Eagan High School hospitality and career development teacher Patsy Keech to hear her opinions. “From a hospitality perspective, people are always in a hurry, not wanting to talk, and would rather use their phone or technology.” This can be seen as now in many restaurants, such as Panera, you can order at the use of a tablet, which may be a few steps away from an employee. 

“The hospitality industry is all about people and is now wondering how to give people a great experience, without interaction,” said Keech. “For the job market, are we now going to lose human interaction? And what would the world look like if we do?”

Keech shared that as a work coordinator, she has heard that employers are struggling with the idea that Generation Z is great at technology but do not know how to use human interaction. Which comes to the question of “if we are not using human interaction in the jobs when are we using it?”