Optimism among Generation Z workers has fallen far more than any other generation as they have been hit the hardest professionally by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by ADP Research Institute.

More than 78 percent of workers in the 18-24 age bracket (Generation Z) have said their professional lives have been affected, while 39 percent lost jobs, were furloughed or suffered a temporary layoff from their employer during the pandemic, the study said.

The study, titled "People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View", showed that Generation Z workers were twice as likely to have been impacted by the pandemic as those over 55 years of age.

The survey was conducted in 17 countries with more than 32,000 respondents between November 17 and December 11, 2020. The study was done to explore the impact of the pandemic on attitudes of employees towards the current workplace situation and their expectations from the workplace in the future.

Impact in India

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was worst among the working population in the Asia Pacific region and India in particular, the study said.

Four in 10 Indian workers (39 percent) lost their jobs, were furloughed or temporarily laid off by their employer as against one in five in China (22 percent). Indian workers were twice as likely as Australians to take a pay cut, it said.

Around 86 percent of the total workforce in India did different things, beyond their scope of work, over fears of financial instability as compared to 57 percent of Australians.

Several workers also took on additional responsibilities following job cuts in their organisations. According to the study, in the high-pressure environment, working over-time for no additional pay has increased as compared to the previous year. In India, two in five Indian workers (40 percent) are working more than 10 hours overtime each week without additional pay. In Singapore and China, workers are putting in more than nine hours of extra work per week.

"In India, more than half of young workers say they have taken up additional responsibility for fear of job loss during the pandemic," PTI quoted Rahul Goyal, managing director of ADP India & Southeast Asia, as saying.

GenZ in India

Among Generation Z workers, 89 percent in India said the new work-from-home dynamics blurred the boundaries of definitive working hours. They also had to choose between work and well-being or family.

The pandemic has emotionally burdened the younger generation of workers in India, said Goyal, adding that Generation Z sees itself “getting better and stronger through self-motivation, adaptability, and new personal skills.”

Younger workers are focussing on networking and developing their contacts within their organisations, the study revealed.

With Generation Z unfortunately entering the workforce during recession, there is large initial earnings loss and significant changes to the local labour market structures. This impact will take years to recover from, the study said.

“The more young people can be proactive, the better," Goyal said.

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