Dire warning over Aussie Gen Z work trend: 'Very dangerous'

Yahoo

05-05-2025

Some frustrated Australians are quitting their jobs without a backup plan and experts have issued a warning to workers about the potentially "dangerous" trend. Sydney woman Theresa Tran, 25, told Yahoo Finance she left her marketing job last year after just three months to protect her mental health.
Randstad research revealed that Gen Z is driving this movement as 49 per cent jumped ship without another role lined up, compared to the national average of 39 per cent. But recruiter Tammie Christofis Ballis has raised an alarm over doing this at the moment.
"It's very dangerous... the job market is really tough in 2025," she said.
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"It might get better after the election, it might get better after the financial year, we don't know.
"[But] if you're leaving a job without another one to go to, it's going to be incredibly hard to get another one quickly [and] you might find yourself unemployed for longer."Despite the cost of living increasing the financial burden of many essentials, some workers have decided to prioritise their wellbeing over their income.
Indeed recently found job stress and burnout were the number one concerns for 21 per cent of employees.
This came above a lack of job stability or security (17 per cent) and not having a competitive salary or receiving a pay rise (15 per cent).
Similarly, Randstad found a huge shift in priorities for workers.
Salary was the biggest work-related issue for 93 per cent of respondents in the recruitment agency's survey.
But when they did the research again this year, they found wages had plummeted to 79 per cent, and work-life balance had overtaken it at 83 per cent.
This switch-up is being driven but a change in the way the youngest workers view their jobs compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X.
"They are more likely to be looking to change careers, simply because work is not their be-all and end-all," Jo Jakobs, director of professional talent at Randstad, told Yahoo Finance.
"It's not their sole purpose. Their life and the things that are important to them are probably more balanced."
Tran said her marketing job definitely wasn't a 9-5 gig for her.
'On the weekends, I wasn't able to switch off. I was constantly stressed,' she told Yahoo Finance.
'I couldn't commit to social events because I wasn't sure what my mental state would be like.'
While she tried to push through it, she quickly realised that pulling long hours was just part of the job.
She eventually quit and started her own small business creating wedding content before landing another marketing role a few months later.
The 25-year-old said it had been a game-changer.
'I finish work and I'm able to switch off and really focus on my personal life or my side business. The company I work at now are super supportive," she said.
Another worker who spoke to Yahoo Finance on the condition of anonymity was only two weeks into her Sydney office coordinator job when she knew she had to quit.
That was despite living in the most expensive country to rent in — alone.
"Your job is meant to only be your job," she said.
"When it gets to the point where it's something you're bringing home and you're dreading every single day, I feel like decisions to leave a role without having anything lined up and not made lightly."
There are many factors affecting the job market in Australia, but one of the biggest is the economy.
If times are tough, consumer spending might be down, which means businesses might not be getting the same amount of revenue they used to enjoy.
If revenue is down, they might be forced to cut jobs or install a hiring freeze.
With fewer jobs around, it means there is increased competition for every role that gets advertised.
This is why some people are spending months or even years trying to find a new job, which is why Ballis said quitting without a backup could plunge you into a situation worse than stress or burnout.
Trimmed inflation has slowly been brought back under control at 2.9 per cent, and the Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates once this year, and is highly tipped to go again this month.
But there is still global uncertainty due to the US tariff policy and how that might play out for the rest of the year.Sign in to access your portfolio