Gen Z is the largest generation in human history, and over the next 10 years, 1.3 billion of its members will enter the global workforce. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that this new generation is entering one of the toughest job markets in decades.
Small Business Prices analysed the top industries for Gen Z, looking at the number of jobs, salary trajectories, social orientation and face-to-face contact to reveal the top positions where Gen Z will thrive. The research was conducted on a global scale to highlight the top cities and countries around the world where Gen Z has the most potential to succeed.
Top 10 professions for graduates
| Top Professions | Average Salary | Social Orientation | Face-to-face Contact |
| 1. Service occupations | £44,829 | 69 | 100 |
| 2. Sales | £22,259 | 82 | 99 |
| 3. Health and social care | £30,004 | 92 | 100 |
| 4. Business and public service | £35,979 | 66 | 86 |
| 5. Media | £35,495 | 58 | 92 |
| 6. Technical occupations | £40,317 | 53 | 93 |
| 7. Construction and building trades | £26,075 | 69 | 100 |
| 8. Science and engineering professionals | £37,528 | 51 | 92 |
| 9. Healthcare workers | £25,323 | 86 | 99 |
| 10. Personal service occupations | £26,080 | 76 | 97 |
Elementary trades such as selling goods, providing services, delivering or door keeping rank as the most popular profession for Gen Z to pursue a career in a post-pandemic world. The enticing starting salary of £33,000 can grow to nearly double at £64,000 for committed workers and the profession provides 17,000 jobs to the Gen Z demographic in the UK alone.
Sales occupations and health and social care professions are the next most popular option for Gen Z graduates and school leavers. Sales occupations account for a staggering 17.5% of the Gen Z working population, providing 124,000 jobs each year to Gen Z alone.
Top 10 companies that Gen Z want to secure an internship
Unsurprisingly, Google ranks as the most desirable internship for Gen Z’s to secure after their studies. Google receives over 2 million applications every year, and 1 out of every 130 applicants receives an offer for a position, making it 10 times harder to get into Google than Harvard.
This is followed by Apple and Microsoft which highlights the large tech corporations as the dominator for hiring the bright minds of the future. Tesla is the fourth most popular choice for internships and also one of the newest companies on the list, highlighting the tech billionaire CEO, Elon Musk’s profound influence on the younger generation.
Rank | The Top Internships They Want |
1 | |
2 | Apple |
3 | Microsoft Corporation |
4 | Tesla |
5 | |
6 | Goldman Sachs & Co. |
7 | Amazon |
8 | J.P. Morgan |
9 | Space |
10 | The Walt Disney Company |
Top 10 countries and cities for Gen Z to start a career
| Rank | Country | City | Population | Number of Bars & Pubs | Bars and Pub per 100,000 Capita | Cost of Living | Average Monthly Cost of Rent | Average Monthly Salary |
| 1 | Switzerland | Bern | 133,115 | 582 | 437.22 | £1,070.10 | 902.66 | £4,173.92 |
| 2 | Colombia | Bogota | 11,167,392 | 44 | 0.39 | £311.28 | 271.935 | £248.43 |
| 3 | Hungary | Budapest | 1,771,865 | 86 | 4.85 | £416.10 | 324.47 | £704.22 |
| 4 | Turkey | Ankara | 5,215,747 | 23 | 0.44 | £272.19 | 117.94 | £357.29 |
| 5 | Mexico | Mexico City | 2,1918,936 | 48 | 0.22 | £354.39 | 356.49 | £460.55 |
| 6 | Poland | Warsaw | 1,789,620 | 48 | 2.68 | £431.26 | 497.18 | £828.59 |
| 7 | Lithuania | Vilnius | 539,978 | 27 | 5.00 | £442.95 | 377.025 | £875.73 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | Prague | 1,312,199 | 147 | 11.20 | £501.81 | 552.185 | £1,098.83 |
| 9 | Slovakia | Bratislava | 424,428 | 61 | 14.37 | £488.78 | 356.49 | £460.55 |
| 10 | Germany | Berlin | 3,566,791 | 75 | 2.10 | £670.81 | 669.785 | £2,080.85 |
For Gen Z looking at moving abroad to start a career, Bern in Switzerland ranks as the most popular choice. With 438 bars and pubs per 100,000 capita, it is the top choice for those wanting a vibrant social scene following the pandemic. While the rent borders on the expensive side at an average of £902.66, the above average salary of £4,174 more than compensates for this.
Bogota in Columbia and Budapest in Hungary rank as the next top cities for Gen Z. Both cities boast a large social scene and affordable living costs for the younger generation who have yet to accumulate enough savings to facilitate extensive spending.
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Top 10 professions for graduates
1. Service jobs
- Average salary: £44,829 | Social interaction: 69 | Face-to-face contact: 100
2. Sales
- Average salary: £22,259 | Social interaction: 82 | Face-to-face contact: 99
3. Health and social care
- Average salary: £30,004 | Social interaction: 92 | Face-to-face contact: 100
4. Business and public service
- Average salary: £35,979 | Social interaction: 66 | Face-to-face contact: 86
5. Media
- Average salary: £35,495 | Social interaction: 58 | Face-to-face contact: 92
6. Tech occupations
- Average salary: £40,317 | Social interaction: 53 | Face-to-face contact: 93
7. Construction and building trades
- Average salary: £26,075 | Social interaction: 69 | Face-to-face contact: 100
8. Science and engineering professionals
- Average salary: £37,528 | Social interaction: 51 | Face-to-face Contact: 92
9. Healthcare workers
- Average salary: £25,323 | Social interaction: 86 | Face-to-face contact: 99
10. Personal service occupations
- Average salary: £26,080 | Social interaction: 76 | Face-to-face contact: 97
