Career aspirations of generation Z: a systematic literature review
Abstract
Purpose: This paper aims to explore the career aspirations of individuals belonging to the Gen Z cohort, i.e. born between 1995 and 2012. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a systematic review of the literature. The authors accessed four databases to collect literature for review. The databases included were Academic Search Ultimate, Business Source Ultimate, ERIC and Google Scholar. Keywords used to conduct the search process were as follows: career development, career aspiration, generation Z, Gen Z and iGen. The authors imported all articles to RefWorks, read article abstracts and decided on whether to include or exclude the article in the review. Findings: Based on this systematic review, the authors found that intrinsic and extrinsic factors determine Gen Z's career aspirations. Further, based on past studies' predictions, the authors concluded that Gen Z has well-defined career expectations and career development plans. Research limitations/implications: Gen Z is the newest generation to enter the workforce. With limited research on this cohort, this study synthesized the existing knowledge of Gen Z students' career aspirations and their future employers' expectations. All research around Gen Z is currently focused on students, and hence, it is challenging to predict their workplace behavior. In this work, the authors provided organizations and practitioners guidelines to be prepared with Gen Z's expectations as they enter the workplace. Originality/value: This systematic literature review synthesizes empirical research from around the world on career aspirations related to Gen Z.
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Millennials may be less sensitive to uncertainty and more accustomed to speaking up even without strong contextual reassurance.
“Millennials, who entered the workforce under more stable conditions and with greater exposure to hierarchical organizational structures, may be less sensitive to uncertainty and more accustomed to speaking up even without strong contextual reassurance68.”
From Leader prohibitive voice shapes employee voice through psychological safety moderated by self-efficacy and generational differences (2025) · cites this paper as [68]
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“In contrast, Millennials, who entered the workforce under more stable conditions and with greater exposure to hierarchical organizational structures, may be less sensitive to uncertainty and more accustomed to speaking up even without strong contextual reassurance 68 .”
- Authors
- Barhate, B., & Dirani, K. M.
- Affiliations
- Texas A&M University System (US)
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Venue
- European Journal of Training and Development
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2021-08-08
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 1/2
- Pages
- 139-157
- ISSN
- 2046-9012 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3135403138
- Cited by
- 350
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 88 · 2025: 87 · 2024: 85 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 4
- FWCI
- 5.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European journal of training and development (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Generational Differences and Trends
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education and Employability
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Keywords
- Generation Z, career aspirations, career development, intrinsic and extrinsic factors, employer expectations, workplace behavior, iGen, student career expectations
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