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The Brian Lehrer Show

Gen-Z's Unorthodox Entrance into the Workforce

The Brian Lehrer Show

WNYC

York, News, Politics, Radio, Arts, News Commentary, Public, Lerer, Media, Wnyc, Bryan, Daily News, New, Nyc, Npr

4.61.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2023

⏱️ 12 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

At the start of the pandemic, the oldest members of Gen-Z began graduating college and entering the workforce. Fast-forward to today, many have only experienced working from home or in a hybrid manner. Elizabeth Shwe, assistant producer at WNYC's All Things Considered, shares how Gen-Z has acclimated to the working world while listeners share their own experiences of becoming working adults in a new world or working with Gen-Z team members who never experienced the old way.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Bryan Lair Show on WNYC, I'm Bridget Bergen, filling in for Bryan today.

0:15.9

And now we're going to wrap up today's show with a look into the lives of our youngest

0:19.9

workers.

0:20.9

And yesterday's show, we discussed how the pandemic has warped our sense of time.

0:26.7

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Gen Z, roughly defined as those born

0:31.8

between the years of 1997 and 2012, had just begun graduating college and joining the

0:37.8

workforce.

0:38.8

Now, three years later, even more of them have completed those milestones and find themselves

0:44.0

in their first full-time positions.

0:46.8

That's not really unusual, but what is unique about this generation's experience is how

0:52.5

much the working world has changed over these past few years and how rapidly those changes

0:57.9

have come.

0:59.2

For many sectors of the economy, gone are the days of working nine to five from a cubicle

1:03.8

in an office.

1:04.8

We're not really mingling with our coworkers every day in casually attending happy hours

1:09.8

or brainstorming sessions.

1:11.6

Those are just entering the workforce now have never experienced that kind of lifestyle.

1:17.4

Remote or hybrid work is just the norm.

1:21.1

And we will note that we know that this does not apply to all Gen Z workers in the workforce

1:26.5

that there are many people who work in retail and hospitality, teachers, first responders

1:32.8

where showing up every day is still very much a part of what you do.

1:37.4

But our colleagues at WNYC, all things considered, are taking the month to discuss the future

...

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