Survey: 'Confidence gap' exists between Gen Z workers and peers
Younger employees are struggling career-wise compared to their older counterparts.
That’s according to a new survey from Goodwill Industries International (GII), which found that 15% of Gen Z respondents identified as "unemployed and looking for work," compared to the average of 11% across all generations. More than eight-in-10 (82%) said they were confident about their current position/career, lower than baby boomers (94%) and the overall average (86%).
Only 28% of Gen Z workers in the GII survey reported feeling confident in their knowledge of “what to do next” if they were to lose their job today, compared to six-in-10 (59%) baby boomers. Less than one-third (31%) of Gen Z respondents plan to stay on their current career path, and 42% of Gen Z respondents have delayed landmark goals, such as paying off debt, pursuing education, purchasing a home and making investments.
When it comes to career advancement, upskilling and training, GII found that Americans are bypassing traditional professional organizations, with the top opportunities utilized being free online resources (34%) and social media (33%). For Gen Z, social media (38%) is the number one source for career training and upskilling, followed closely by free online resources (34%).
"America's workforce has historically been one of the great strengths of our economy, but this research shows that the future of our workforce – younger workers – are facing significant challenges," said Steve Preston, president and CEO of GII. "Too many young workers are experiencing a confidence gap, especially as work changes faster than they can adapt.”
[READ MORE: Survey: Tech problems mount for QSR employees]
Additional insights from the survey include the following:
•More than one-third of Americans (35%) still do not use AI in their professional lives. Gen Z, despite being the “digital natives” of the workforce, are not leading the charge, with only 21% using AI for professional development.
•Only 41% of Americans report their employers providing adequate training on AI, and 34% say their employer does not discuss AI at all.
•In 2025, most Americans were either directly affected by job cuts or know someone who has been. Thirteen percent were directly laid off in the last 12 months, while 17% had their hours reduced.
•Of those who reported being unemployed and looking for work, nearly one-quarter (24%) have been searching for more than a year.
•More than half (56%) of Americans said the current economy makes it difficult for them to use their education and skill set.
Methodology
GII commissioned an online survey among a nationally representative general U.S. population sample across age, gender and region. The survey, conducted through Audience Align, between Dec. 5 - 11, 2025, oversampled Gen Z (n=557, ages 18-27) as the target incoming workforce, in addition to collecting data from millennials (n=271, ages 28-43), Gen X (n=241, ages 44-59) and baby boomers (n=231, ages 60+).
