Is Gen Z the hardest working generation?

Asked by: Savannah Gerhold  |  Last update: February 28, 2026
Score: 4.2/5 (59 votes)

Forty percent of respondents identified Gen Z as the most difficult generation to work with—including Gen Z themselves.

What generation is the hardest working?

While 45% of those surveyed described Gen Z as the most challenging to work with, this dropped to 26% for millennials, 13% for Gen X, and 9% for baby boomers. In the end, being “difficult” is probably just another rite of passage.

What generation is the toughest generation?

A study from earlier this month shows that the trend hasn't changed. In 2021, 22% of Gen Xers admitted to daily struggles with stress followed by Millenials (17%), Gen Z (14%), and Baby Boomers (8%). A big reason for the stress is having to take care of multiple generations.

Why is Gen Z the strongest generation?

Generation Z is the most diverse, connected, and digitally proficient generation ever. They are also incredibly innovative, adaptable, and resourceful.

Why does Gen Z lack strong soft skills?

Causes of The Skills Gap: The pandemic likely impacted Gen Z's education and early careers, with remote learning limiting soft skill development and traditional job support. Closing the Gap: Lack of engagement can lead to underperformance.

Survey: 74% of managers find Gen Z hardest to work with | NewsNation Now

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What does Gen Z struggle with the most?

Gen Z Struggles With Mental Health

According to McKinsey, over half (55%) of Gen Zers report having either been diagnosed or receiving treatment for a mental health condition, compared to 31% of people aged 55 to 64, who have had decades longer to seek and get treatment.

Why are Gen Z so stressed?

“From student loan repayments to more expensive housing and groceries, the pressure to pay the bills is weighing heavily on many young people.” All of this has contributed to Gen Z's higher expectations of their employers.

Which generation is smartest?

A growing discourse suggests that Generation Z (Gen Z) is endowed with higher cognitive abilities compared to their predecessors, the Millennials. This assertion prompts an exploration into the unique characteristics and experiences that might contribute to the perception of heightened intelligence within Gen Z.

What is the weakness of Gen Z?

It seems likely there is a greater tendency in Gen Zers to struggle with their mental health. This is supported by one study, which found: Fewer than half (47%) of Gen Zers say they're content with their lives compared to 60% of Millennials.

Why does Gen Z look older?

Many of the theories online veer into the conspiratorial: One woman suggested that Gen Z looks older because the quality of food is getting worse, which results in faster wrinkles; another claimed that it's because food is getting better, and because millennials ate food with more preservatives in it than Gen Z, ...

Which is the unhappiest generation?

Gen Z Is the unhappiest generation in America: Report. Jessica Burbank and Amber Duke react to new findings in the world happiness report that a great percentage of the Gen Z population is unhappy.

Is life harder for Gen Z?

Gen Zers are having a harder time making ends meet, let alone building wealth. Roughly 38% of Generation Z adults and millennials believe they face more difficulty feeling financially secure than their parents did at the same age, largely due to the economy, according to a recent Bankrate report.

Which generation quits the most?

According to a 2022 survey, Gen Z talent is more likely than any other generation to leave or consider leaving a job due to inflexible work policies. Fortunately, there are alternatives to increasing connection. Developing robust onboarding practices is one way Gen Z talent can be re-engaged and ultimately retained.

What generation is the most stressful?

Although the stress of experiencing a continuing polycrisis affects people of all demographics, recent research from GlobeScan shows that Gen Z respondents across 31 countries and territories are more than twice as likely to say they frequently experience stress and anxiety than are Baby Boomers and older.

Which generation is the richest?

Baby boomers have the highest net worth, averaging $1.6 million per household. Baby boomers have the highest household net worth of any US generation.

Which gen is the coolest?

Generation X, born roughly between 1965-1980, is often considered the epitome of cool. Why? Because they invented it—or at least, they like to think they did. They gave us grunge, the original indie films, and the “whatever” attitude that's now part of our cultural DNA.

What does Gen Z suffer with?

According to ​​research conducted by the Walton Family Foundation 42% of Gen Z battles with depression and feelings of hopelessness, which is almost twice as high as Americans who are over 25 (23%).

Why does Gen Z have a bad reputation?

If you have not heard, Gen Z (also referred to as Zoomers), those people born between 1997 and 2013 have been using their “ghosting” powers to not show up for interviews with employers or even going through the interview process, getting the job, and then not showing up for their new job without the courtesy of even a ...

Why is Gen Z so powerful?

Gen Z is pragmatic

Gen Z has a strong sense of self-agency. Gen Z lives in a world that has always been one search engine result away. If they want to know more about something, they readily seek the answer out for themselves (even if it's not always the correct one).

What is the luckiest gen?

The Baby Boomer generation, those of us born between 1946 and 1964, are often hailed as one of the luckiest generations in history. Our lifetime has been marked by remarkable social, economic, and technological changes, contributing to an unparalleled quality of life.

What is the average Gen Z IQ?

After the test scores are calculated for every participant, an average of these scores is calculated for the 2 focus groups, shown in Table IV. From Table IV we can see that the average score of the millennial groups is 99.24 and the average score of the gen-z group is 101.03, the difference being 1.79 points.

What is the most traumatized generation?

Generation X, the cohort born between the early 1960s and late 1970s, leads in experiencing financial trauma, with 74% reporting challenges, closely followed by millennials at 71%, Generation Z at 64%, Baby Boomers at 63% and the Silent Generation at 60%.

Why is Gen Z aging so fast?

Skincare experts warn that getting Botox or using anti-aging creams too early can cause unwanted side effects and that vaping and e-cigarettes, which Gen-Zers gravitate toward, can also cause premature aging.

What is the most stressful age in life?

The observed age pattern for daily stress was remarkably strong: stress was relatively high from age 20 through 50, followed by a precipitous decline through age 70 and beyond.