Money not top priority for youth

MONEY is not the number one motivation for young employees as they make their mark on the workforce.

They may not be able to afford to buy their own home, but a survey suggests only 6% of “generation Y” employees (aged between 17 and 25) think money is the most important part of their job.

By contrast, 58% just want to be happy in their job — in common with their “generation X” elders, their older colleagues who were born between 1965 and 1982. A mere 3% of the X crowd felt that money was the main priority of employment, with 60% putting job happiness at the top of the list.

And three-quarters say they won’t be affected by high unemployment over the next decade.

A survey published yesterday by IrishJobs.ie focussed on attitudes to work among generations X and Y, and compared them to the baby boomers (born 1946-1964) who were said to favour the “live to work” ethos rather than the “work to live” attitude of their children.

A small minority of generation X and Y respondents, 3% and 10%, felt that getting to the top of the career ladder was the key to being in the workplace.

IrishJobs.ie managing director Jane Lorigan said the survey results supported “the much-documented fact that generation X and Y value quality of life in the forms of time, family and freedom. Enjoying life is a priority for both generation X and Y workers and money alone is no longer the most important factor”.

Meanwhile, bosses who don’t move with the times risked losing their staff, as 67% across both of the generations surveyed felt more loyalty to their lifestyle than to their employer.

Greater flexibility at work is important for 78% of generation X and 68% of generation Y, with 56% and 61% preferring flexi-time.

Family is the number one priority for 40%, with friends and social circle a close second at 29%, rating higher than money, work, health, hobbies, and religion.

While there were some similarities among the two generations, Ms Lorigan said there were also differences. “Generation Y, arrives with a ‘can do’ attitude and is self-assured, demanding things ‘now’ and preferring an inclusive rather than a hierarchical set-up. In contrast, generation X employees are generally understood to be more uncertain, less aware of their own self-worth and also hard-working.”