World’s biggest generation to ever populate Earth are about to hit the workforce

The oldest members of Generation Alpha are about to start work - and there’s one thing setting them apart from their predecessors. The three million Aussies, born between 2010 and 2024, will embark on the workforce in 2025 and they’ve been described as a “new type of digital native we haven’t seen before”. And that’s because they’re the first generation to live their entire lives with smart phones and iPads. According to social analysts McCrindle, Gen Alphas will be the most materially endowed, tech savvy and live longer than any other generation before them. “Many of them used ipads before they learned how to talk, it’s just wild,” Mr Dusting said. “Even Gen Z weren’t using phones when they were toddlers, but a lot of toddlers are swiping, unlocking and sending messages from their parents phones. “They’re a new kind of digital native we haven’t seen before.” Mr Dusting said while many of us worried about how AI would disrupt the workplace, for them it would be life as normal. “I don’t think anyone can predict what the workforce will look like for Gen Alpha, but the World Economic Forum predicted children entering primary school today would end up working in completely new jobs that don’t exist yet,” he said. “Even since 2010, whole new industries have sprung up like social media marketing, that was not a thing before 2010 when they started being born. “We have seen industries like cyber security which is massive now, and AI prompt engineering, which are people who can translate and be the link between humans and technology.” Mr Dusting said many kids wanted to be a YouTuber, which was a good example of the kind of digital connectivity they had to the world, because as long as you had access to the internet and a device you could be a YouTuber. “You are not limited by geography or where you live,” he said. “It is a good example of how the digital world opens up opportunities for Gen Alpha in a virtual world where you don’t have to be in a mega city like Sydney, New York or London to necessarily be doing some of the coolest things.” Futurists believe Gen Alphas would likely be lifelong learners because the world changed so rapidly, it would be something they did naturally. “Their default way of operating is to expect change and to expect volatility, so in terms of them as workers they will need to be lifelong learners, because chances are it’ll continue to be the case as new industries and new jobs pop up,” he said. “But they’ll be better prepared to adapt to that than the generations before them.” He said in the future, technology and increased automation would make human skills more important than ever with a study showing empathy was a key trait younger people looked for in a leader. The study was conducted across generations in Australia to identify what they wanted in a workplace and what they valued in leaders. Mr Dusting said empathy was one of the top three things Gen Z valued in leaders, which was not the case for other generations and expected it would be the case for Generation Alpha. “It means those human characteristics like social skills, empathy, leadership, collaboration and creativity will be Gen Alpha’s competitive advantage against AI,” he said. The study also found Gen Z were the most keen to work from an office, while they wanted flexibility they valued social connections more than any other generation. This was attributed to their young life stage and how highly they valued relationships with the people around them. “They want to feel like their work is meaningful and they want a sense of belonging in a workplace, they like that social connection … which we would expect for Gen Alphas too because of the world they have grown up in.” How the world’s youngest generation will spend their hard earned cash is likely to be shaped by their own individuality and customised to them in a way that has never been seen before, the futurist said. The media they consume and products and services they use will be tailored just for them, shaping the way they expect companies to engage with them. But younger generations were more conscious of the environmental and social impact of their spending decisions and the importance of sustainability. The futurist expected Generation Alpha would hold companies accountable for the goods and services they produced and the impact they had on the world. “That is partly a product of having access to global news and events from their smartphone, they can see the impact of these big companies and the environmental impact of certain companies in a way that it’s all out there,” he said. As Gen Alphas grew up in a highly volatile world with global conflicts and economic challenges, Mr Dusting said it was possible they would be more financially conservative. “The world’s not a carefree place so time will tell, but often these things swing between generations,” he said. “So the Gen Ys, or the millennials, the whole smashed avo on toast generation, were shaped in the aftermath of an era of global prosperity. “The 1980s and 90s were some of the most prosperous years in global history, but then since then it’s been a lot less prosperous and a lot more volatile. “It is hard to know if Gen Alphas will be more savers rather than spenders, but the world is definitely more uncertain. “As a counter to that, to get ahead financially they might see you need to take risks, like Gen Z, and with cost of living challenges the average wage doesn’t get the average house anymore. “If you want an average house, you’ve got to be punching above in terms of your income, which doesn’t seem very fair but that’s the reality. “We’re already seeing Gen Z educate themselves about the stock market in ways that their parents definitely weren’t in their 20s. “So we might see that with Gen Alpha, where they are forced to be more creative and take more calculated risks with their with their money and finances.”