“The youngest members of today’s workforce, Gen-Zers, have faced nothing but hurdles – a global pandemic and unprecedented development in technology. Now, in the face of layoffs and the implementation of AI across the corporate world, Gen Z workers are relying on themselves for the stability that they need to pursue their career ambitions by choosing freelancing,” said
Several key themes from the global data include:
Freelancing is becoming a more attractive career path for Gen-Zers for 2024 and beyond.
- Almost 70% of total Gen Z respondents are actively freelancing or plan to do so in the future.
- Nearly 40% of Gen Z freelancers are currently or willing to work full-time while 30% in a part-time capacity.
- 12% of Gen Z freelancers work in-between jobs or to build experience and skills.
Comfort and financial security remain the top priority for Gen-Zers.
- 44% of global Gen Z respondents desire to be financially comfortable as part of their larger career ambition; nearly 20% want to retire early.
- A quarter of Gen-Zers want to own their own business while 14% want to freelance for their entire careers.
- Nearly 30% of respondents want to travel for work and work from wherever they want.
Among Gen Z respondents in the
More Gen-Zers are pursuing stability through freelancing following a string of corporate layoffs.
- 38% of
U.S. respondents believe that freelancing full-time gives them the power of never getting laid off and almost 36% of Gen-Zers see freelancing as a good back-up option if they were to lose their job. - Over 70% of
U.S. Gen Z responders are thinking more about freelancing compared to last year. - 10% of respondents said they were let go and another 14% said they’re afraid they will be.
- Nearly 25% of Gen Z respondents now believe that freelancing is more stable than a traditional full-time job.
- Almost ⅕ (18%) of Gen Z responders think being a freelancer make them less likely to be replaced by AI, thus immune to AI displacement.
US Gen-Zers are continuing to prioritize autonomy and flexibility in their professional careers and work life.
- Similarly, nearly 20% of Gen-Zers believe that companies have no loyalty to employees anymore. As a result, almost 70% of
U.S. freelancers started freelancing between 16 and 20 years old. - 20% say they work to live, and don’t “live to work”, 3% more compared to last year.
- 29% of US Gen-Zers want full control over return-to-office policies while 28% prefer a hybrid work environment and ¼ want to own their own business.
This survey was conducted in partnership with Censuswide among a sample of 10,033 Gen Z (defined as those aged 16-26) across the
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Fiverr's Second Annual Gen Z Report
Layoffs Prompt Gen Z to Rethink Job Security and Careers, Fiverr Survey Reveals
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