Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Gen Z Job-Exit Intent Surges Across Professional Services Sector
A report studied workers in many professional-services companies.
It found that eight out of 10 Gen Z workers may want to leave their jobs.
Gen Z workers now make up 34% of this workforce, compared with 17% in 2023.
Many employees want clearer information about pay, promotions and career growth.
About half of all employees are actively searching for another job.
Managers are searching even more often than employees who do not manage teams.
Workers are more likely to stay when leaders thank, develop and recognise them.
Companies are also using AI, but many employees say they have not been told enough about its risks and benefits.
The report says companies need trust, clarity and better support to keep workers.
Eight in 10 Gen Z professional-services employees are inclined to leave, according to a Great Place to Work India report.
Gen Z’s workforce share rose to 34% in 2026 from 17% in 2023 across the surveyed sector.
The study covered more than 130 companies and 110,000 employees across several professional-services industries.
About half of employees are actively seeking jobs, while 86% of managers and frontline supervisors are looking to switch.
Nearly six in 10 companies meaningfully use AI, but only two in 10 employees feel sufficiently briefed on its risks and benefits.
- Who
- Gen Z employees, managers, frontline supervisors and other workers in the professional-services sector.
- What
- A Great Place to Work India report found high job-search and job-exit intent, weakening discretionary effort and limited employee briefing on AI.
- When
- The report compares workforce figures from 2023, 2025 and 2026; it says three in four departing employees are expected to leave within 12 months.
- Where
- The professional-services sector, including consulting, global capability centres, business-process outsourcing, accounting and auditing, travel management, legal services, and architecture and design.
- Why
- Employees have limited tolerance for unclear pay, recognition and promotion criteria, while unresolved workplace concerns and insufficient AI communication are contributing to job-search intent.
- Gen Z exit intent
- Eight in 10 Gen Z employees in professional services are inclined to leave.
- Gen Z workforce share
- The share rose from 17% in 2023 to 34% in 2026.
- Study coverage
- More than 130 companies and over 110,000 employees were surveyed.
- Active job search
- About 50% of professional-services employees are actively looking for a job.
- Manager job-search intent
- Eighty-six percent of managers and frontline supervisors said they were actively looking for a new job, compared with 53% of non-managers.
- Discretionary effort
- Employee willingness to go beyond required duties fell from 82% in 2025 to 79% in 2026.
- AI communication
- Nearly six in 10 companies meaningfully use AI, but only two in 10 employees strongly agree they have been sufficiently briefed on its risks and benefits.