Four ways the global mobility industry must adapt for Gen Z

A lot happened between 1997 and 2012. We went from big phones to smartphones, from Clinton to Obama, from Lady Diana to Lady Gaga. We also welcomed 2.5 billion babies into the world, and a pressing concern for FIDI members is how to attract a tiny but highly talented percentage of them into the moving industry.

They’re not like the babies who came before. Or, more accurately, our rapidly changing world environment has shaped them into young adults who play by different rules, with new ideas and attitudes and preferences that distinguish them from previous generations. This is Gen Z.

If you’re reading this, you’re either a busy boomer/millennial with lots of younger reports to manage – or you’re a Gen Z yourself who wishes this was short-form video rather than a blog.

So, to speed things up, we’ve narrowed the topic down to the four key areas that movers need to focus on to attract and retain the best young talent. Get these right, and you’ll be fine.

Gen Z wants to know exactly where they’re going and how they can grow. They’re not looking for vague promises – they want clear career paths and real opportunities to develop. If companies are up-front about what they can offer and support this generation with training and mentorship, they’ll win their trust. 

Honesty is a key part of this: help them to understand the industry, what it does, how it operates and let them visualise their role and contribution within it. The moving industry may not be as ‘sexy’ as some, but it is a worthy, fast-moving, rewarding and fascinating place to work. If we paint a true picture of our industry and – crucially – help them to visualise their path within it, many thousands of Gen Zers will not only join it but drive it forward. 

It is well known that Gen Zers have a stronger sense of social responsibility than previous generations. They weren’t necessarily born this way: the world that has shaped them comes with a more complex moral, ethical and environmental code than it used to. They have grown up with climate change headlines and increasing sense of equality and diversity, both in society at large and within the professional environment. 

So it’s natural that this generation expects employers like you to have those values firmly in place. If not, they’ll look elsewhere. According to a LinkedIn survey, 80% of Gen Z want an employer with aligned values, compared to 47% of ‘Baby Boomers’. Employers should create a space where Gen Zers can contribute ideas and see real change happen. When they feel their work matters and aligns with their values, they’ll bring fresh ideas and a ton of motivation. 

Gen Z are very keen to balance professional ambition and responsibilities with their personal lives. This means they value flexible work hours and location – but this doesn’t mean they are work-shy. They are as driven as anyone to achieve success, they just plan to go about it in a more balanced way than previous generations. A 2024 survey reported that 81% of Gen Z respondents valued flexibility over salary (although it didn’t mention how much flexibility or how big a salary). 

Flexibility is also, therefore, a watchword for employers. Those who are open-minded enough to adapt to this mindset will build a workplace where younger employees are happier, more productive, and ready to thrive.

Gen Z may be different, but they also have to get along with everyone else. While it’s essential to accommodate the needs of younger employees, there must be a compromise to ensure that the company’s performance and culture are not negatively affected.

It is therefore essential to consider how Gen Z will be integrated. On the human side, this means finding the optimal way to interact with older generations, for example, through mentorship programmes, which help them learn from more experienced colleagues. FIDI’s own 39 Club offers a mentorship programme that addresses this point. Technology is also a key issue. The generation that has grown up with all-pervasive tech will expect to use it in their work; the more digital your work processes, the more likely you are to attract and retain younger employees.

If you’ve got to the end of a long-form blog post, we can reasonably assume you were born well before 1997. But we’re also confident that you’ve now got four valuable things to think about. 

As an employer, you need to be aware of these broad principles in order to create a talent recruitment and retention strategy that is most likely to bear fruit. It doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need to do is give them direction and a purpose, while taking a flexible and open-minded approach to integrating them into your organisation. There. We could have done this as a TikTok video after all.