Voices

Majority of Millennials seek job loyalty, work/life balance, says Boston College survey

The Boston College Center for Work & Family (BCCWF) recently released a new survey polling more than 1,100 young adults, aged 22-35, on how those young adults navigate their careers.

The report, How Millennials Navigate Their Careers: Young Adult Views on Work, Life and Success, provides insight into the career desires of the millennial workforce, and seeks to help employers understand what drives them in their work environments.

“There were many interesting finding from our study,” said lead author Brad Harrington, per a statement. “One of the key takeaways was how important career navigation skills were for young adults - knowing their career goals, what they had to offer employers, and how to communicate their career goals effectively. These navigation skills were highly linked to job satisfaction, work effort, and other important people metrics. Few universities or corporations invest in teaching these skills to their people. But they are critically important for employees and their employer.”

KPMG, the sponsor of the Boston College study, notably has a staff of 27,000 U.S. professionals - 59% of which are millennials. The firm expects to hire approximately 6,500 millennial-aged employees in 2016 alone.

“Recruiting and retaining top talent remains a priority for KPMG, especially in a competitive market where change is constant,” stated Sue Townsen, national managing partner of HR, Diversity and Corporate Responsibility at KPMG. “The results of this Boston College study align with what we’re seeing in our own organization – millennials are high performers looking for the guidance and support necessary to succeed. This survey debunks the popular notion that millennials are ‘job-hoppers’ and reinforces the fact that these individuals want to work for organizations that provide opportunities for growth and flexibility.”

Some highlights from the BCCWF study include:

  • The majority (60%) of young adults said that they plan to stay in their jobs for some time. 
  • Young adults measured the following as "extremely important" - Work-life balance (44%), job satisfaction (43%), salary/salary growth rate (35%), achievement of personal goals (27%), work achievements (25%), development of new skills (24%).
  • 51% of men indicated they would consider staying home if their spouse’s income allowed, versus 44% of women.
  • Career growth opportunities rated at the very top of criteria for the selection of an employer.
  • When considering leaving a position, the top two cited reasons were to make more money/have better financial opportunities, and to be able to move forward in their careers.

For the full report, head to Boston College's site here.

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