Hiring or job hunting? There are generational gaps these young workers want to talk about

Isha Bhargava · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The expectations of a young occupation seeker and an leader don't ever match, and erstwhile it comes clip to hire, the generation gap tin permission some parties disappointed.

There are considerations like work-life balance, distant enactment and the close to log off, each conversations up for treatment astatine a caller hiring store attended by young workers and employers successful London, Ont. 

"The feedback we're getting from our assemblage is that young radical are not needfully feeling prepared for workplaces, and workplaces aren't necessarily adapting to the young employees," said Nikita Miller, enforcement manager of Young London, the radical hosting the event.

"There are different needs from each angles, and I deliberation there's a deficiency of knowing and empathy from each aspects. We're speedy to justice and constituent blasted astatine the different parties truthful we conscionable privation to commencement conversations to level the playing field."

Nearly 2 dozen employers, post-secondary students and full-time workers from a assortment of sectors took part, speaking candidly astir however workplaces have changed implicit the past fewer decades, and what tin beryllium done to find communal ground. 

Bosses should beryllium unfastened to caller ideas, younker say

Nadith Ranasinghe, a 3rd twelvemonth Western University aesculapian subject student, believes bosses should beryllium unfastened to unsocial perspectives that young workers bring to a job, and recognize that a work-life equilibrium tin assistance them feel much fulfilled successful their jobs.

"This caller generation, we're much unfastened to keeping our enactment and societal lives abstracted and we recognize that arsenic employees, we should besides beryllium capable to bask ourselves and our ain idiosyncratic clip distant from a job." Ranasinghe said.

Many of the young participants explained that stereotypes astir however they volition execute connected the occupation are simply not accurate. Some pointed to assumptions that younker are lazy, and don't privation to work. 

"We are motivated but we conscionable similar to bash things otherwise and that tin bring innovation and betterment wherever it should," Esther Makide, 19, said. "Not knowing each different isn't productive for anyone and it doesn't bring collaboration."

On the flipside, the young occupation seekers suggested older employers were stubborn and unwelcoming of change.

What are employers looking for?

Lisa Meyer is spouse astatine a London law steadfast who looks to prosecute young employees who are genuinely enthusiastic astir moving with a team, and privation the occupation for much than conscionable the wage cheque. 

Meyer said she understands the request for a work-life equilibrium and believes employers request to beryllium much flexible successful providing that to their staff, adding that she's learned workers privation to consciousness valued successful the workplace. 

"The young people have spoken astir being appreciated and heard. Employers request to recognize wherever these workers are coming from and what they value," Meyer said.

"We've heard astir occupation stableness and wealth not needfully being the cardinal drivers for young workers, and it's much astir having an accidental to grow, truthful there's learning determination connected the employers' broadside to assistance span that gap."

Jeff Lewis' business manufactures customized orthotics and footwear, and helium acknowledged the workforce has changed dramatically since helium was successful his 20s. He described the store arsenic an "eye-opening experience," helium said he's impressed by however in-tune and motivated young workers are.

"If they privation to work, we should enactment unneurotic and springiness them the state to marque mistakes. Experience is the champion teacher, but there's a balance betwixt losing productivity and accrued costs to that concern arsenic well," helium said.

Apply for jobs

A challenge that some young and older employees said hasn't changed implicit the years is getting the acquisition needed to beryllium considered for a job.

"A batch of jobs thin to look for applicants who person acquisition successful the past, but if you're a young applicant similar myself, thing you consistently look for is experiences to really summation real-world, tangible knowledge," Ranasinghe said. 

"It can beryllium a small demotivating erstwhile you're consistently not getting jobs that you privation due to the fact that of a deficiency of experience, erstwhile you're trying to spell for that occupation to summation experience.".