A word from the president: 'our generation Y survey is one of the most comprehensive of its kind'.
| Author | Furber, Malcolm |
During my recent travels as CIMA president I have noticed that one of the hot topics in many regions of the world concerns how generation Y--today's group of 20- and 30-somethings--might shape business in the future.
Pinning down the characteristics of generation Y is a little more difficult. A number of people claim to be experts in capturing the motivations of this group, but I wonder what generation Y-ers think about all this themselves.
As I outlined in my previous column, leaders in government, business and academia urgently need to address the high level of youth unemployment worldwide and the ongoing skills gaps in many professions--accounting included. CIMA is committed to helping solve these problems by providing a global pathway for a better-skilled workforce. And we are working on how we can accelerate this process.
As I write, I have just read the preliminary results of CIMA's global generation Y survey. This is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind and will draw together enough in-depth data to give a clear picture of generation Y's career aspirations. We will then compare these findings with the results of a second global poll that asks companies what qualities they are seeking in their generation Y employees.
We sent our first survey to 130,000 people, aiming at those aged between 15 and 33. Over the next few months the institute will analyse their responses in depth to build a profile of generation Y in different parts of the world.
From my own interpretation of the results, one of the most interesting findings relates to what generation Y-ers look for in a prospective employer. Given the choice, two-thirds of the respondents said that they would prefer to work for an organisation that shared their values and fitted in with their lifestyles, as opposed to a company that offered them big financial rewards. As the dust settles from the global economic downturn, I think this is a telling sign of the times.
We also asked our sample what they thought employers were looking for in terms of skills. More than three-quarters said they thought softer skills were most important at entry level. When it came to both...
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