Bridging the Skills Gap: What Gen Z Brings to the Table and How Hiring Managers Can Adapt
Gen Z is projected to make up one-third of all workers by 2026. And they’re bringing with them a unique set of skills, perspectives, and expectations that are reshaping how we think about work.
But here's the challenge: there's a disconnect between what hiring managers expect and what Gen Z delivers. It's not that either side is wrong—they're just speaking different languages. And in this gap lies both friction and opportunity.
When Sandra Moran, Chief Customer Experience Officer at WorkForce Software surveyed Gen Z workers about why they leave jobs within their first year, three themes emerged consistently: misaligned expectations, lack of work-life balance, and the discovery of better opportunities elsewhere.
"Gen Z is very different from prior generations in the workplace, specifically because of their on the personal benefit for working, rather than how they may be contributing to the larger organization," Moran explains.
"Prior generations often viewed the relationship between employer and employee indexing toward the employer's power, whereas many Gen Z workers are more interested in understanding what they will get out of the experience."
This shift in perspective isn't entitlement, it's a rational response to a world where traditional career paths have become increasingly uncertain. They've witnessed economic volatility, technological disruption, and a pandemic that upended workplace norms. Is it any wonder they're approaching their careers with a healthy dose of pragmatism?
Research from the National Society of Leadership and Success found that only one in four Gen Zs surveyed believe they know how to network effectively, and the same proportion don't feel prepared to negotiate. These are precisely the "soft skills" that hiring managers often cite as lacking.
But here's where the narrative gets interesting: what if we're focusing on the wrong skills entirely?
The Hidden Strengths of Gen Z
Annie Rosencrans, people and culture director at HCM platform HiBob, challenges the notion that Gen Z lacks soft skills, highlighting instead their natural strengths in empathy, fairness, and respect.
"Rather than a lack of soft skills, Gen Z offers unique strengths that can be nurtured for workplace success," she argues.
The 2025 Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey reveals that Gen Zs are more focused on work-life balance than climbing the corporate ladder—
only 6% say their primary career goal is to reach a leadership position. However, this doesn't mean they lack ambition.
When asked about their strongest reasons for choosing their current employer, learning and development ranked in the top three.
What Gen Z brings to the table is a set of adaptive skills that position them perfectly for our rapidly changing work environment:
Strong adaptive capabilities and openness to change
Quick adoption of new technologies
High emotional intelligence
Greater likelihood to demonstrate vulnerability, empathy, and tolerance
While Gen Z may excel at digital communication, in-person workplace interactions can be a different story. A survey by learning platform Kahoot of 1,015 Gen Z workers found that 9 in 10 reported experiencing social discomfort at work, with more than half saying they feel it at least half the time.
Sean D'Arcy, Kahoot's Chief Solutions Officer, notes that this discomfort "could present challenges not only for their career advancement but for the team's ability to collaborate and share knowledge. A lack of effective communication and collaboration can also hinder team productivity, disrupt client relations, and lead to inefficient decision making."
But D'Arcy is quick to add an important caveat: "Different generations have their own approaches to work culture, and it is the responsibility of their employers to try and reconcile these differences and get the best out of multigenerational teams."
This is a crucial insight. The solution isn't to force Gen Z to conform to traditional workplace norms, but rather to create environments where different generational strengths can complement each other.
The skills gap between what hiring managers expect and what Gen Z brings isn't a problem to be solved—it's an opportunity to be embraced. By recognizing and valuing the unique strengths of this generation while providing support in areas where they may need development,
organizations can create more dynamic, innovative, and resilient workplaces.
As James Uffindell, founder and CEO of Bright Network, puts it: "Gen Z brings fresh perspectives, adaptability, and a hunger to make an impact, but it's on all of us to nurture their potential. Instead of focusing on what they may lack, we need to create the right environment for their growth."
The future of work isn't about Gen Z conforming to traditional workplace expectations—it's about creating workplaces that can harness the best of what every generation has to offer. And in that collaborative spirit lies the true potential of tomorrow's workforce.
5 Ways Hiring Managers Can Bridge the Gap
1. Reframe "Soft Skills" as "Power Skills"
2. Create Spaces for Open Dialogue and Feedback
3. Implement Development Programs
4. Focus on Cross-Generational Collaboration
5. Prioritize Mentoring Over Managing