Roughly 42% of Generation Z employees (18-28 years old) intend to change jobs in the next six months, compared with 30% nationwide, primarily motivated by career advancement, according to the “Employee Sentiment 2026: The Perspective of Romanian Employees” conducted by MKOR.
Conducted on a population-representative sample of 1,000 respondents, the survey found that 42% of Generation Z employees (18–28 years old) intend to change jobs in the next six months, compared with 30% nationwide.
The average likelihood score for changing jobs among Generation Z was 5.1 out of 10, compared with the national average of 3.96. Around 20% of Gen Z employees gave the maximum score of 10 out of 10, meaning they are certain they will leave, compared with 13% nationwide.
Predictably, income growth was the main reason for changing jobs across all age categories, although among young people it represented 75%, comparable to the sample average (78%).
Diverging priorities were nevertheless observed across age segments when it came to other job-related aspects. No less than 43% of Gen Z employees mentioned career advancement opportunities, compared with 27% among Millennials and 22% among the Gen X segment (versus 30% overall).
On the other hand, job security was a reason for changing jobs for only 18% of Gen Z respondents, while for Millennials the share was 29%, and for Gen X it was 36%.
“Gen Z has lower incomes compared with the other generations and a greater desire for advancement, and precisely for this reason, they may take the risk of looking for another job. Companies that will succeed in retaining Gen Z talent are those that show them a concrete path of development, a promotion in the near future, or an impactful project,” said Cori Cimpoca, Founder of MKOR.
Workload has increased compared with the previous year for half of Generation Z employees (54%), and the general population average says the same.
Regarding team dynamics, the number of colleagues has remained approximately the same for 45% of Gen Z, compared with 54% overall. Team morale has declined in the perception of 47% of Gen Z employees compared with 50% nationwide.
The same survey showed that Romanian Gen Zers have an average income of roughly RON 3,700, compared with the national average of RON 4,900. Around 57% of them make less than RON 4,000. At an individual level, 28% of people in the Gen Z category reported salary increases compared with 20% of Millennials and 17% of Gen X, better-rated job security (24% say it has increased compared with 10% overall), and growing professional development opportunities for 32% of them, compared with 19% of the sample average.
“The medium-term risk for employers is clear: as expectations increase with accumulated experience, professional mobility also increases. The 42% who say they are likely and very likely to leave in the next 6 months may represent an early warning signal for organizations without a young talent retention policy,” MKOR surveyors said.
(Photo source: Tero Vesalainen|Dreamstime.com)
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