![]() In a 2018 survey from global consulting firm Deloitte, 77% of Gen Z respondents said it was important to work at organisations whose values aligned with theirs. Demand is surging for these kinds of climate-related jobs – making it crucial for employers, careers advisors and educational institutions to revamp their programming to be as climate-relevant as possible. Many young workers like Zhou – middle-class members of Generation Z, living in countries including the US and UK – are searching out similar professional paths that combine flexibility and a deep sense of purpose. Zhou comments, “Nowadays, I think my generation places more emphasis on finding jobs that align with our personal beliefs, and are less afraid to move on if that alignment changes.” Flexibility is a major driver of this shift. It’s not the same career path as Zhou’s parents – a nurse and an engineer – who immigrated from China, then stayed with the same employers for nearly their entire careers. “Knowing that I am working for an environmentally and socially oriented organisation, that I am working for something bigger than a paycheque – this is what brings me a sense of purpose.” “I combat this anxiety through my work,” says Zhou. Since graduating from university in 2017, she’s worked in both the private and public sectors, and is currently in a year-long communications role with the solar energy non-profit GRID Alternatives. That’s why Zhou has turned to work as a way to channel her eco-anxiety in a positive direction. “It’s way too easy to spiral into despair when you read the news or watch Planet Earth documentaries,” she says. She remembers when floods in 2014 made tap water unsafe for several counties on Lake Erie. “These storms have led to flooding that endangers lives and destroys property as well as causes more run-off into our state’s many lakes,” says Zhou. Zhou grew up in the US state of Michigan, which has been experiencing milder winters coupled with fiercer storms. Many young people can probably relate to the 26-year-old Zhou’s worries about the climate – and her desire to work for a company that’s doing something about it. “Climate change gives me an insane amount of existential anxiety,” says Lillian Zhou. ![]()
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