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Economic pressures and changing workplace norms are reshaping how many Gen Z workers approach their careers. (AndreyPopov \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Koch said the same generation delaying traditional milestones is also entering a difficult job market<\/a> after years of economic disruption. She pointed to housing affordability challenges and inflation as factors that have left many young adults feeling discouraged.<\/p>\n ‘Varney & Co.’ host Stuart Varney and WSJ Free Expression associate editor Mary Julia Koch discuss how Gen Z relies on AI to draft text messages, dating app profiles, and even social conversation talking points.<\/p>\n “There have been huge economic pressures<\/a>, and especially among a generation that was of prime home-buying age during the pandemic, they didn’t hit that benchmark,” Koch said. “And I think it’s left many young people feeling that the system is rigged against them, that they’ve been locked out of the American dream.”<\/p>\n GEN Z BREAKS ULTIMATE TABOO BY POSTING SALARIES ONLINE<\/a><\/p>\n When it comes to ghosting employers, Koch suggested the behavior reflects how many Gen Z workers communicate.<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal Free Expression associate editor Mary Julia Koch joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the rise of Gen Z’s \u2018loud budgeting\u2019 trend, why young Americans are drinking less and how AI fears are shaping financial habits.<\/p>\n The trend appears to be more common than many employers may realize. According to a Resume.org survey,<\/a> 54% of hiring managers have been ghosted by Gen Z candidates after extending a formal job offer.<\/p>\n “Ghosting is a thing you do over text,” Koch said. “It’s such a classically Gen Z behavior now entering the job search, which in today’s low-hire, low-fire job market, you probably don’t wanna be in the wrong set of a hiring manager. You would at least give them an email response.”<\/p>\n GEN Z IS FUELING THE EXPLOSIVE RETURN OF THIS 200-YEAR-OLD STRATEGY CRAZE<\/a><\/p>\n Koch also argued that growing up online has made face-to-face interactions more intimidating for some young people, adding that interviews can be especially stressful for a generation accustomed to communicating through screens.<\/a><\/p>\n