With the labor market tighter than dress trousers after the holidays, companies are trying to gain every advantage to attract the best talent. As a crop of newly degreed graduates looks for gainful employment, the companies that seek to hire them has a question: What does the class of 2019 want in an employer?
Fortunately, there is some new research to answer the question. LaSalle Network, a Chicago-based staffing agency, released a report aptly titled, “What the Class of 2019 Wants.” And some of the findings were surprising.
First, 35% of respondents said they’d go to work for any industry that hired them–the highest percentage in the four years the agency has done the report. Among those that are employed, 65% received between two and four job offers in 2019. They expect to earn between $51,000 and $60,000 per year in their first job out of college–and 89% will get that or more.
LaSalle CEO Tom Gimbel says these findings aren’t surprising, given the economy. “In a down economy, there is not going to be work-life balance, so the money is the driver,” he says. As jobs reports continue to show increases in available positions, people are going to look beyond money because they are secure that they can find another job that pays similarly or more.
But there are some indicators that generation-Z does approach prospective employers a bit differently. When they’re evaluating a job or company, there are several things that many want to see.
