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What millennials look for in a job

Cape Town - Millennials are prioritising the opportunity to make a difference in their society and the ability to learn over straightforward career advancement, a survey published by the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community showed on Sunday.

On the question of what they look for in a job, 65% of respondents taking part in the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 selected the opportunity to make a difference in society, while 51% said they were looking for opportunities to learn and 40% were looking for career advancement.

Although career advancement was the top attribute Global Shapers looked for in an employer, with 48% choosing it among their top three attributes, company culture came second (38%), followed by training and development opportunities (32%).

The survey results showed a staggering 91% of respondents indicating they would be willing to relocate to advance their careers.

The US topped the list as overall country to work in, followed by the UK and Germany.

Despite the massive scale of the powerhouse Brics economies, millennials chose the United Arab Emirates as the number one emerging market destination for career advancement.

The Brics economies are Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.

China and Brazil were chosen over the other Brics nations as destinations for career advancement.

Asked what sectors will drive growth in their cities in the short term, respondents rated technology, tourism and government as top growth drivers. Government topped the list of sectors the millennials consider in need of reform to adapt to young people, followed by education and agriculture.

The only institutions millennials trusted to be honest and fair were NGOs, their employer and to some degree multinational corporations. They didn't trust governments (11% agree; 50% disagree); religious leaders (15%:35%); the news (10%:46%) and the armed forces (17%:35%)

The survey captured responses from over 1 000 young people aged between 20 and 30 in 125 countries and 285 cities, making it one of the most geographically diverse surveys of millennials.

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