New Zealand’s future in the hands of Generation Z

In 2020, Gen Z made up 12.6% of New Zealand’s workforce, and their influence is set to rise as baby boomers retire. To navigate this change, knowledge transfer and experience-sharing between generations will be pivotal to success in the engineering industry.

The current rate of change is causing a significant shift in our workforce, and it is expected to be unrecognizable in less than a decade. In this whitepaper, we explore the changing landscape of the workforce by analyzing surveys and interviews conducted within Downer. Our focus is on the increasing number of Generation Z (Gen Z) employees entering the New Zealand engineering workforce and how companies can bridge the generational gap by adapting to the expectations of different generations. We also examine how to attract and retain talent, and the future of the sector.