Have Gen Z killed the corporate ladder?

Gen Z have watched their parents and older colleagues hustle, burn out, and still remain in financial turmoil. Now, with their prospects being threatened by AI, is it any wonder they’re ditching the corporate ladder entirely?

Gen Z are set to (finally) kill the corporate ladder for good as they steadily enter the modern workforce, according to recent data.

Research has shown that young people are increasingly becoming disillusioned with conventional, capitalist career paths, with a larger portion now exploring other avenues such as self-employment, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. Even those in standard corporate jobs aren’t necessarily yearning for top management positions. A 2025 Glassdoor survey found that 68% of Gen Z wouldn’t pursue career advancement for personal reasons and would only do so for pay.

Perhaps more alarmingly, a new survey by networking company Deloitte has estimated that only 6% of Gen Z view leadership promotion as their primary professional goal. Instead, most are opting for a healthy work-life balance, stability, and upskilling that will help them in the long-term. Deloitte’s research also discovered that 55% of Gen Z have delayed major life decisions, including starting a family and furthering their education, due to financial constraints. We’re all feeling the squeeze on our savings, which is changing our priorities and slowing our eagerness for progression.

Experts have dubbed this phenomenon ‘career minimalism,’ whereby Gen Z no longer defines their worth or time solely around work. Instead, they’re examining the immediate opportunities available to them and shifting their approach accordingly.

This could mean jumping across different roles at a range of companies – known as ‘lilypadding’ – or rethinking their skillset to create economic stability on their own terms. This might see more Gen Zers setting up a business, a personal brand, or creating online content to generate multiple revenue streams. Crucially, they aren’t following a loyal career ladder at a single institution, and they’re less willing to sacrifice their entire lives in order to gain a promotion.

What’s causing this shift? As mentioned, Gen Z are truly feeling the burden of our current cost-of-living crisis. They’re tackling a whole host of economic struggles, including dynamic pricing, high unemployment rates, and inaccessible mortgages that make saving feel both impossible and redundant. Short-term stability is taking precedence for many, especially as organisations cut back on employees and prioritise automation.

AI has swept into job markets across the world, killing many entry-level opportunities and putting tons more at jeopardy. A survey by Zety late last year reported that 65% of Gen Z believe a college degree won’t protect them from AI-related job losses, with 43% saying they’d already adjusted their career plans as a result of AI. This change in mindset has made multi-income careers, freelance work, and portfolio building more attractive, rather than putting everything into a single corporation that won’t hesitate to make people redundant if it can.

Gen Z has seen their parents and older colleagues succumb to the intense hustle culture of the noughties and 2010s, too.

While some will have succeeded through sheer hard work, it is also far less of a guaranteed path to financial freedom than it was several decades ago. Wealth disparity continues to widen, so much so that UK millionaires are now apparently happy to pay more tax, and wages have stagnated. Income has only risen by 7% over two decades, while the cost of essentials has risen by as much as 120%. Those numbers suggest a capitalist model in which we are not prospering or progressing. Why slave away and climb a ladder that doesn’t reward most of us?

That sentiment can be felt in many of Gen Z’s behaviours, not just climbing a career ladder.

As we’ve explored before, young people are more likely to prioritise short-term spending on travel and experiences, rather than chucking all their disposable cash into a savings pot that might not ever result in a mortgage. A greater focus on mental health and sensible balance is unsurprising, given that the negatives of corporate life are no longer necessarily outweighed by positives. Less growth and room for meaningful career advancement have caused Gen Z to step away and enjoy life while they’re young. Who can blame them, really?

Critics argue that younger people lack ambition and direction, especially older folks who have been working within the current system for decades. Journalists for big publications like The Telegraph make a point to throw a variety of stereotypes at Gen Z as they scold them for not fixating on work and making it their entire personality. Others also point out that a lack of younger leaders and managers could create a skill gap and reduce the long-term salaries of Gen Z as they get older. These fears have been compounded by the emergence of ChatGPT as an imperative educational tool, as younger people potentially lose cognitive thinking skills in favour of ease and efficiency. Might we have an entire generation that has no ambition or real talents?

Gen Zers would probably tell you that these grumbles are largely overblown. In reality, most young people want to work, yearn for a healthy, financially lucrative career, and are itching to own houses. It’s not as if the conventional path is being rejected out of choice, after all. The reality is that hustle culture and intense schedules that neglect personal growth have proven to leave millennials no better off in the long run. As a result, Gen Z are opting to do things their own way and are largely stepping away from a system that isn’t sustainable or functional. What that means for the future of work is unclear, but things will absolutely transform as more young people abandon company loyalty and prioritise themselves.

The career ladder isn’t completely dead just yet, but it no longer looks worth climbing for a large portion of Gen Z workers.

See also:

• AI is coming for all our jobs…yes, even yours 
• How Euphoria’s return left its Gen Z resonance behind
• Why Justin Bieber’s Coachella comeback resonated with Gen Z