Stability, skill development, mental well-being, and quality of life are becoming more important than rapid career advancement or a leadership title for today’s 20-somethings—that is, members of Generation Z.
The... Z-ers, according to Boomers, came of age amid the economic crisis, the pandemic, and job insecurity, and are now entering the job market with far fewer illusions than previous generations.
Thus, the image of the employee who answers emails at midnight, goes to the office sick, and takes it for granted that professional success comes through exhaustion, is starting to look increasingly outdated in the Greek job market. Not because companies have suddenly changed their culture, but because the generation entering them has changed.
In fact, as Generation Z increasingly and openly rejects the work model that has dominated Greece for decades—low wages, constant availability, strict hierarchy, and the notion that “work comes first, then life”— Experts are sounding the alarm, emphasizing that this shift must also lead companies to rethink how they operate. And they point out that the change is deeper than it appears.
According to Deloitte’s “2026 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey,” which surveyed more than 22,500 young people across 44 countries, Gen Z and Millennials are now redefining the concept of professional success.
“Young people don’t reject progress or leadership. However, they want the conditions for growth to be sustainable,” notes Analia Kokkori, People and Purpose Leader at Deloitte Greece. She explains that younger generations are seeking “financial stability, mental well-being, skill development, and a sense of purpose.”
The word “purpose” now appears constantly in discussions about work. Nearly 94% of Greek Gen Zers say they need meaning in their work to feel professional satisfaction. For many older employers, this approach often sounds incomprehensible or excessive. For the younger generation, however, it is self-evident.
This partly explains the paradox increasingly encountered in the Greek labor market: companies claiming they “can’t find staff” and young people responding that they “can’t find jobs worth doing.” The conflict is most evident in sectors such as hospitality, tourism, retail, and services.
In sectors where grueling hours, low pay, and the mindset of “be grateful you have a job” have long prevailed, Gen Z appears far less willing to accept the same conditions.
“It’s not that young people don’t want to work. They don’t want to work under conditions that burn them out,” says a human resources executive at a major retail chain. “If they feel there’s no respect or no future, they’ll leave very quickly.”
And indeed, they do leave. Much more easily than previous generations. Frequent job changes, which for boomers were considered almost a “stigma,” are viewed by Gen Z as a normal search for better conditions.
The job market is no longer local. A young worker can work remotely for a foreign company, freelance, or change jobs much more frequently without the pressure of a “stable career” that characterized earlier times.
Technology plays a catalytic role in this transition. According to Deloitte, 61% of Greek Gen Zers already use artificial intelligence tools in their work. AI is viewed by many not as a threat but as a tool for personal development, education, and better work organization. At the same time, however, young people believe that businesses are moving more slowly than they are in adapting to new technologies.
On the other hand, Greek businesses—most of which are small and family-owned—are struggling to keep up with these changes. According to a survey by Randstad Hellas, businesses are concerned about the increased demands of younger employees. Moreover, the same survey shows that 52% of employers view rising labor costs as a greater challenge.
“Gen Z is more impatient, more daring, and wants more money faster,” notes Leda Sgouraki, Director of Professionals & Enterprise HR Services at Randstad Hellas. At the same time, however, she acknowledges that “talented people go to a job for the pay, but they stay for the flexibility.”
The attitude of Yiannis S., an 18-year-old taking his national exams, is telling. Regardless of how he performs on the exams, his goal for the summer is to get his motorcycle license so he can work as a delivery driver: “Whenever I want, without a boss, and for good money.” He rules out the possibility of working as a waiter, as he can’t stand “other people’s quirks” and rejects “working 7 days a week for 800 euros.”
This is precisely where two different worlds collide. Older generations learned that professional success requires patience, sacrifice, and endurance. Gen Z believes that work should fit into life—not life into work. Young workers are no longer easily impressed by promises of a “career.”
They are more interested in the quality of their daily lives, in flexibility, and in whether they’ll be able to leave on time or work remotely. And before sending a resume, they “scout out” the employer in the same way that previous generations would research a real estate market.