One thing that stood out to you or a question
you have from discussion last night...
What comes to mind when you think of
Millennials?
•Silent: Born 1928-1945 (Age 69-86)
•Boomer: Born 1946-1964 (Age 50-70)
•Gen X: Born 1965-1980 (Age 34-49)
•Millennials/Gen Y: Born 1980-1995 (Age 19-33)
•Gen Z/Digital Natives: Born 1995-2010 (Age 4-18)
•Generation Alpha: Born after 2010
•Life cycle effects: Young people differ from older
people, but may resemble them later in life.
•Period effects: Major events (war, economic decline,
etc.) affect people differently based on location in life
cycle.
•Cohort effects: Period events and trends that
influence young adults as they are developing their
core values.
Taylor, Paul, and Scott Keeter, eds. “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.”Pew Research Center. February 2010. Web. 13 September 2010.
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z
Size
78 Million
48 Million
80 Million
57 Million
Characteristics
Hard-working,
competitive, loyal,
confident
Anti-authority,
Confident, needy,
individualistic, self- digital thinkers,
reliant
entitled
Realistic, creative,
hyper-connected
Why they are the
way they are
Healthiest,
wealthiest, largest
generation of time
Children of
workaholics &
divorce,
cable/internet
Micromanaged,
rewarded for
participation,
technologically
connected
Raised in culture of
fear, mobile
technology,
helicopter parents
Communication
Styles
Prefer detailed
dialogue in person
or via phone,
appreciate
meetings, believe
no news is good
news
Prefer concise
communication,
without clichés or
over-explaining,
email
Prefer frequent
feedback and
problem-solving via
technology instead
of phone calls or
meetings
Prefer visual
communication via
technology, expect
to communicate
whenever/wherever
they want
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z
Problems
Dwindling
retirement funds,
job dislocation,
rising healthcare
costs or inadequate
healthcare
Debt, caring for
aging parents and
young children,
balancing
life/career, stuck in
middle
management
Debt,
unemployment,
difficulty
transitioning to
career, negative
stereotypes
Finding identity,
lack of job
opportunities,
falling apart of
American Dream,
Flaws
“Been there, done
that,” attitude, not
open to new ideas
“Wait and see”
approach, difficulty
committing
“What’s in it for
me,” high demands,
short attention
spans
Need for structure,
want quick results,
lack interpersonal
skills
Gen Z Report by XYZ University
Silent
Boomers
Xers
Millennials/Gen Y
Attitude w/
Authority
Endure them
Replace them
Ignore them
Choose them
Role of
Relationship
Significant
Limited, useful
Central, caring
Global, 24/7
Value System
Conservative
Self-based
Media
Shop around
Role of Career
Means of living
Central focus
Irritant
Place to serve
Schedules
Mellow
Frantic
Aimless
Volatile
Technology
Hope to outlive it
Master it
Enjoy it
Employ it
View of Future
Seek to stabilize
Create it!
Hopeless
Optimistic
Elmore, Tim. Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Them. Atlanta: Post Gardener Publishing, 2010.
Life comes first
Follow rules that work
(why?)
Equality and respect must
be earned
Talent=promotion
No defined work clock
Once I am finished, I can
leave
Digital contact
Dress the part as necessary
Expect organization to
change to meet their needs
Millennials:
A Transitional
Generation
Renaissance
Enlightenment
Postmodernism
91% of Millennials (1982-1995) employees don't
expect to stay more than three years at any given
job. (Future Workplace Survey)
Starting in 2015, Baby Boomers will no longer be the
majority of the workforce. The majority of the
workforce will be Millennials, ages 20-33. (U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics)
1 in 3 young professionals under age 30 prioritize social
media freedom over salary when choosing to accept a job
offer. (Cisco Connected World Report)
There are 4.8 million job openings in the United States right
now; the highest level since January 2001. However, roughly
half of the employers can't find qualified workers. The skills
gap between higher education and workforce training has
been identified as a "critical problem" for the U.S. (Council on
Jobs and Competitiveness)
•Special/Entitled
•Sheltered/Programmed
•Confident (but fragile)
•Team-Oriented/Collaborative/Connected/Informed
•Pressured/Driven
(Need to distinguish themselves; doing vs. being)
•Achieving (personal resume)
•Tech-dependent
•Family-oriented (work/life balance)
•Special/Entitled: “baby-on-board,” self-esteem programming,
helicopter, social media, parents/pampering teachers
•Sheltered: programmed, enclosed, monitored, bike
helmets/seat belts
•Confident (but fragile): protected from consequences,
affirmed for showing up/participation
•Team-Oriented/Collaborative/Connected: positive peer
pressure, value orderliness, uncomfortable with class divide,
avoid appearing intolerant/judgmental, increasingly
interconnected
•Distrustful of institutions and systems
•Pressured/Driven—increasing demands from technology,
schools, personal and parental ambitions, higher stakes (i.e.
grades, major), comfortable with change, ask “why?”
•Achieving/Slackavists—doing vs. being, extracurricular is
growing, specializations (i.e. sports, music), structured
activities, want freedom with constant feedback/affirmation
Views on marriage in America today:
• 4 in 10 Americans say that marriage is becoming obsolete
• Most people do not think either married or single people
have an easier time of it
• About half or more think there is no difference between
being married or single in the ease of having a fulfilling
sex life, being financially secure, finding happiness,
getting ahead in a career or having social status
(Pew Research Center)
Views on marriage in America today:
• About 7 in 10 people do not agree that each person in the
universe has only one true love
• In 2009, only 32% of people polled said that sex before
marriage was wrong; 60% said it was not (CBS/New York
Times poll)
• 76% of all adults say that their family is the most
important element of their life
• In 1960, 72% of
American adults were
married. By 2011, that
share had fallen to 51%
• In the early 1980s, the
median age at first
marriage for men was
25 and for women 22.
In 2011, the median
age for men was 29
and for women was 27
“The Death of Marriage Shows Maturity”
–A Millennial perspective
(by Savannah Sturkle, junior at Columbus)
• 70% of 18 to 29-year-olds say
they want to marry; 74% say
they want to have children
• 25% aren’t sure they want to
marry and 19% say they aren’t
sure they want kids
• 51% of all births among
Millennials in 2008 were to
unwed mothers, compared to
39% among Gen Xers in 1997.
Millennial Women and Marriage:
• Women who finish college and get married after turning
30 earn $18,152 more per year on average than women
who marry in their 20s or teens (Karen Kaplan, LA Times)
• 78% of women want to marry someone who has a steady
job while labor force participation for men 25-34 has
dropped from 93% to 82% since 1960 and median hourly
wage for men has dropped 20% since 1980 (Payscale)
Millennial Women and Marriage:
• Marriage brings a host of responsibilities for women.
“Millennial women are aware of this reality and choose to
focus predominately on their careers, rather than deal
with the pressures of finding a life partner, affording a
wedding, buing a home, starting a family, and possibly,
having to decide between a family and career.” (Leah
Arnold-Smeets, Payscale)
• Never-married women ages 25+ are more educated
overall than never-married men
Questions/Comments