A whitepaper from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber is looking at one of the most diverse and largest sections of the population: Generation Z. People who were born between 1997 and 2012 are outnumbered locally only by Millennials.
Audrey Treasure is executive director of the Workforce Innovation Center at the Chamber. She says the report covers those who have graduated from college or are about to.
“It’s a major priority for the Cincinnati Chamber that we grow the region. This population is an important one because it is a new and growing population,” she says. “We think it’s really important that we do a good job of keeping them here.”
Treasure says it's important to take Generation Z seriously, and not stereotype them as being addicted to their phones.
“We should see their connectivity to an online world as an asset for us,” she says. “They’re able to find information quickly. They’re able to process it quickly, and they’re able to repurpose it and get messages out using that channel, so we should see that as the asset that it is.”
RELATED: Chamber says local population is diversifying, but growth is not guaranteed
Treasure says the whitepaper is good research for employers who are looking to attract or keep younger workers. She says it indicates what trends could be coming.
“This group — who many of them were in college or high school when COVID happened and things got shut down — they’re looking for a workplace where they can be in-person and they can get formal or informal mentorships, for example, as a way to understand how to be successful in the workplace,” she says.
The report covers what they want in the workplace and outside of work.
“This population is really looking for ways that they can connect with each other and connect them to the place in which they are,” she says. “Folks in our focus groups talked about being in different spaces, like downtown Cincinnati, or our great parks system, using our assets and then connecting with other people. Those are all things they like to do and want more opportunities to do.”
Another report on members of Gen Z without four-year degrees is expected to be released early next year.
