Only 6% of Gen Z want to become managers, poll shows

A growing reluctance among Generation Z workers to pursue management careers could create a serious leadership shortage for businesses, particularly in Europe, where demographic changes are already reducing the size of the working population.

For many young employees, career success is no longer primarily associated with promotions or moving into senior management. Instead, work-life balance and avoiding the greater responsibilities and longer hours associated with leadership are increasingly becoming priorities, Euronews writes.

“Looking at global research, only around 6% of Generation Z want to take on senior management roles and become bosses. For organisations and their structures, that is a very big problem,” Tomasz Szklarski, CEO of Enpulse and an expert on workplace engagement, told Euronews.

According to Szklarski, the growing responsibilities associated with management are one of the main reasons younger workers are reluctant to take on leadership positions.

The pressure on managers has increased as the average number of employees reporting to a single manager has grown significantly. Average team sizes have doubled from around six people to approximately 12, leaving managers responsible for larger groups while still being expected to meet business targets and support employee development and wellbeing.

“Generation Z has carefully weighed what work-life balance means against the sacrifices required to become a boss. Young people can clearly see the burden that comes with management. A manager is accountable both to their superiors and for increasingly large teams that require constant support,” Szklarski said.

The trend could pose a particularly serious challenge for Europe. The continent is already facing demographic changes that are expected to reduce the number of people in the workforce, increasing the importance of developing future managers from a smaller pool of employees.

"There will be fewer and fewer people working, especially in Europe. If we do not train a new generation of managers and prepare people to take responsibility for teams, we will face growing challenges in maintaining organisational efficiency," the expert warned.

Businesses may therefore need to rethink how they encourage younger employees to pursue leadership roles. Rather than relying solely on traditional career incentives such as promotions and higher salaries, companies could need to make management positions more sustainable and attractive by addressing workload, flexibility and work-life balance.

The rise of artificial intelligence is also unlikely to eliminate the need for human managers, according to Szklarski. Although AI is increasingly being used to automate business processes and support decision-making, questions remain over whether employees would accept instructions from algorithms or whether AI could effectively replace the human role of a manager.

Leadership requires skills that remain difficult to automate, including empathy, relationship-building, motivating employees and making decisions that take into account the human side of an organisation.

As Gen Z increasingly redefines what professional success means, companies face a growing challenge: ensuring that the next generation of workers is willing and prepared to lead. Without effective strategies to develop future managers, businesses could face a widening gap between the need for leadership and the number of employees willing to take on the role.

By Sabina Mammadli