A paradigm shift is underway among young American graduates. Long regarded as the professional Eldorado, the big technology companies are losing out to the healthcare sector. This trend, revealed by recent studies, outlines the contours of a labour market in the throes of change, influenced by anxieties linked to artificial intelligence and an increased quest for stability.

The end of a reign for Silicon Valley?

The dream of joining the ranks of Google, Amazon or Apple seems to be fading for a significant proportion of American Generation Z. According to a major study conducted by the National Society of Hight School Scholars (NSHSS), a gap is opening up: young talent is turning away from careers in IT and certain engineering fields in favour of care and assistance.

There are several reasons for this disaffection. Firstly, the shadow of artificial intelligence hangs over the technology sector. Influential voices, such as executives from NVIDIA and AWS, have publicly spoken of a future in which the need for engineers to know how to program may become obsolete. This prospect, coupled with the expectation that technology profiles will be among those most affected by automation, instils a sense of uncertainty.

Added to this is growing labour instability. The waves of mass redundancies that have rocked the tech giants in recent years, along with high staff turnover, are tarnishing the image of a sector that was once seen as a haven of stability and opportunity. The survey by consultant What’s The Big Data already highlighted this aspiration of Generation Z for economic security for their future.

Generation Z is looking for stability and meaning

The priorities of young Americans are changing. According to data collected by Networks Trends from over 10,000 students, 76% of them place a stable career at the top of their list of concerns, ahead of the location of the company (75%), its reputation (72%) and even the prospect of a high salary (71%).

Another major concern emerges: the fear of burnout. Half of those surveyed said they were very worried about joining a toxic working environment after years of study, fearing burnout or obstacles to their career development. Against this backdrop, the appeal of large technology companies, which no longer systematically offer the idyllic working environments of yesteryear, is logically diminishing.

The figures speak for themselves: according to the NSHSS study, Google has fallen from being the fourth most desirable company for students in 2022 to seventh place in 2024. Amazon and Apple have also slipped down the rankings. Even more spectacularly, SpaceX has dropped from ninth to twenty-second place.

The health sector, a new refuge?

In the face of this disillusionment, the healthcare and assistance sector is gaining in popularity. It is perceived as offering not only greater job stability, but also less exposure to the upheavals brought about by AI. Indeed, the care professions, which are centred on people, seem less likely to be automated on a large scale.

This trend may not be limited to the US. In Spain, although at a more measured pace, health and social services-related courses of study have seen a significant increase in enrolments between 2018 and 2024, as revealed by the CYD Foundation’s study “Employability of young people in Spain in 2024”. Although careers in IT and engineering continue to play an important role, medicine and nursing are experiencing a significant resurgence in interest. Demographic ageing, particularly marked in Spain where 40% of employees in the healthcare sector are over 45 according to Randstad, is accentuating this need for generational renewal and qualified staff.

This shift in the career aspirations of young Americans could have far-reaching consequences, redefining the attractiveness of sectors and forcing companies, particularly technology companies, to rethink their strategies for recruiting and retaining talent. One thing is certain: the quest for meaning and security now seems to take precedence over the simple promise of innovation and high incomes for a generation that will shape tomorrow’s world of work.