Millennials’ favour flexibility

Reproduced by permission

Younger workers value flexible working hours and holiday allowances above all other benefits, according to a new report into the work preferences of graduates. The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that, among Irish ‘millennials’ – candidates who have entered the labour market since the year 2000 – access to training and development opportunities is also regarded as a valuable perk.

The study, which questioned 4,200 graduates in 44 countries including Ireland, found that the vast majority expect traditional working practices to remain the norm during their working lives. All of the Irish respondents questioned also said they expected some element of office-based work to feature in their future working lives.

Forty three per cent expect to work mainly regular office hours, while just 2 per cent expect flexible hours to prevail. ‘‘Millennials expect job mobility and want the opportunity to experience overseas assignments," said Mark Carter, partner, HR services, PwC Ireland. ‘‘Eighty per cent of survey participants would like to work abroad and 70 per cent expect to use languages other than their first language during their career."

The PwC report, titled Millennials at Work – Perspectives of a New Generation, also found that corporate responsibility was a critical factor for younger workers. ‘‘Eighty-eight per cent of millennials said they will choose employers who have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values that reflect their own, while 86 per cent would consider leaving an employer if CSR values no longer matched their expectations," said Carter.