Young workers prioritize money alongside meaning and happiness

We often read how the youngest cohort of adults focus heavily on purpose and mental health, but that doesn’t mean they are not pursuing money.

The financial element of career choices is ranked alongside meaning and wellbeing by Gen Zs and Millennials as the top three foundations of happiness at work, according to a new report from Deloitte.

And those three factors are driving the intention among 31% of Gen Zs and 17% of Millennials to change employers in the next two years, especially given a rise in financial insecurity among these young workers.

In last year’s survey, only around three in ten of both generations said they felt financially insecure, but this has risen to almost half in 2025. And the data shows that where there is a lack of security around money, wellbeing is impacted and workers are less likely to feel that their work has meaning.

Conversely, 60% of financially secure Gen Zs and 68% of financially secure Millennials say they are happy. Only 36% of Gen Zs and 39% of Millennials with cost-of-living concerns say that they felt happy and eight in ten respondents say their long-term financial future and day-to-day finances as factors contributing to their feelings of anxiety and stress.

Cost of living continues to be the main concern of both generations for the fourth consecutive year of the survey and more than half say they are living paycheck to paycheck and almost four in ten struggle to pay their living expenses each month, and more than four in ten are concerned they won’t be able to retire with financial comfort.

“Gen Zs and millennials have been consistent about their priorities at work, but as the world of work shifts rapidly around them, employers need to rethink how they can best meet their needs,” continues Elizabeth Faber. “By being thoughtful about the impact of technology and modernizing the way work is structured, leaders have an opportunity to evaluate how the workforce is supported while advancing their organization.”