What Australian Gen Z Workers Want: Deel 2026 Report

They've been called entitled, lazy, and restless. But when we asked young Australians what they actually want from work, the answer was a lot simpler: pay that covers the bills, a job that won't disappear, and a payslip they can trust.

The 2026 Deel What Gen Z Workers Want Report: Australia surveys more than 1,000 Gen Z workers across the country. It busts the myths about the generation that will make up almost a quarter of the Australian workforce, and shows employers where to focus to keep them.

Key findings

• Pay beats purpose: 72% of Australian Gen Z workers rank "pay that keeps up with living costs" in their top three job priorities, ahead of job security, learning and development, flexibility, and values.

• The corner office can wait: 76% don't list leading a team as a 10-year goal. More than a third would rather have "a job I can leave at the office".

• Money worries run deep: Nearly half worry about financial instability, even though every respondent has a job. Burnout comes second (37%), while AI threatening their skills (23%) sits much lower.

• Payday problems are common: 73% have experienced payroll or admin friction, including being paid late and finding a mistake in their pay.

Why employers should be paying attention

Gen Z already makes up 24% of Australian workers, and the generation's share keeps growing. What they want from work looks different to what many leaders assume. The impacts are clear:

• Win talent with the basics: Accurate, on-time pay is what moves this generation most. Get payroll right and you're already ahead of employers who are still betting on perks and purpose statements

• Keep more of your people: Part-timers are twice as likely as full-timers to be job hunting (20% vs 10%). Job security and clear boundaries do more for retention than a promotion path

• Rethink recognition: Not everyone wants to climb the ladder. Recognition, fair pay, and development that don't depend on a title change may land better

• Close the gender gap early: Young women feel less rewarded (56% vs 71%) and less heard (68% vs 78%) than young men. Act early, before the pay gap sets in

• Get AI right before you scale it: Only 33% of Australian Gen Z say AI makes them more productive, and 25% use AI on personal devices for work. Without training and governance, you could be flying blind