FlexJobs: Millennial Attitudes to Work

Millennials value work-life balance, flexibility and salary most highly when evaluating a job prospect, according to a new report from online jobs service FlexJobs.

• The Big Three: Millennials place an extremely high value on work-life balance, with 84% ranking it as the most important factor when evaluating a job prospect. Work flexibility came in as the second most important factor (82%), and salary ranked third (80%). All ranked well above other factors such as health insurance (48%), company reputation (45%) and 401(k)/retirement benefits (36%).

• Working to Travel: Financing personal travel was a popular motivator for why millennials work, with some 70% saying the desire to travel is a primary reason to work, second only to paying for basic necessities (88%). In comparison, Gen X respondents ranked travel as the fourth most important reason for working (60%), and boomers ranked travel fifth in importance (47%). 

• Mobile Workers: Millennials, along with Gen X and boomers, say they’re most productive when they’re out of the office. Among all three generations, just 7% of workers say the office is their location of choice if they need to be most productive on important work-related projects. More than half (51%) said home is their preferred place, followed by a coffee shop, co-working hub or other space in a distant second place, at 8%.   

The report was released in late September and based on a study of over 3,100 global professionals contacted primarily through FlexJobs’ social media channels and newsletter.

For more insights on changing consumer expectations for the workplace, see Work Reimagined.