The Happiest Jobs By Generation [Gen Z to Boomers]

by | Jan 26, 2023

A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn and CensusWide found that 61% of U.S. workers are considering quitting their jobs in 2023. While the Covid-19 pandemic initiated a massive shakeup in the labor market, the data collected from over 2,000 respondents suggests that younger generations are generally more unhappy in their jobs than ever before. 

The survey found that 72% of Gen Zers and 66% of millennials are looking to make a career change this year, compared to just 55% of Gen Xers (ages 42-57) and 30% of baby boomers (ages 58-76). 

For those of you that fall into the majority of being unhappy at their current job, here is a list of the happiest jobs based on which generation you fall into! 

Happiest Jobs By Generation

With so many people unhappy with their current employment situation, Glassdoor.com produced the following data to determine which jobs offer the most happiness for each generation of workers. Here is what the data shows. 

Gen Z

The youngest generation of employees are more likely to take on roles that give them an opportunity to shape corporate culture and make a social impact. Gen Zers place value on working for large, socially-conscious employers, with the most desirable companies to work for being Microsoft, Google and Morgan Stanley. 

Here is the list of top jobs for Gen Z based on what makes them happy:

  1. Corporate Recruiter
  2. Marketing Manager
  3. Social Media Manager
  4. Data Scientist
  5. Product Manager
  6. IT Specialist
  7. Account Coordinator
  8. Credit Analyst
  9. Project Engineer
  10. Business Development Associate

Millennials

The millennial generation faced a pandemic at the height of their golden years for earning more income. Maybe this played a part in their job-hopping tendencies, or maybe they took the shakeup as an opportunity to explore new options with little downside. 

Here are the happiest jobs for millennials:

  1. Realtor
  2. Corporate Recruiter
  3. Full Stack Engineer
  4. Chief Operating Officer
  5. Technical Account Manager
  6. SEO Analyst
  7. Executive Director
  8. Technical Recruiter
  9. Salesforce Developer
  10. President

Gen X

For people ages 42-57, the Glassdoor data found that 55% are considering leaving their jobs this year. That is still more than half of the Gen X workforce. 

Check out these happy jobs if you fall into this category:

  1. Chief Executive Officer
  2. Chief Operating Officer
  3. President
  4. Corporate Recruiter
  5. Strategy Manager
  6. Realtor
  7. Law Firm Partner
  8. Solutions Engineer
  9. Customer Success Manager
  10. HR Specialist

Baby Boomers

Finally, we have the baby boomers, those of you that are 58-76 years old. While the boomers may be in the twilight stage of their career, that doesn’t mean they should be unhappy!

Here are the happiest jobs for baby boomers:

  1. President
  2. Chief Executive Officer
  3. Realtor
  4. Executive Director
  5. HR Manager
  6. Executive Assistant
  7. Business Development Manager
  8. Marketing Manager
  9. Insurance Sales Agent
  10. Attorney

Final Thoughts

There is no reason you should be unhappy at your job. There is a big world out there and we have seen a major shift in the labor market over the past few years. While employers had the upper hand before, employees are now in the drivers seat as companies struggle to attract and retain good talent. Take advantage of this paradigm shift while it lasts and put yourself in a better position for the future. 

For those of you that are planning to look for another job this year, we hope this list gives you some inspiration in your search. Below we’ve included the highest rated cities for Gen Z, so consider these places if you’re in a position to move!

Highest Rated Cities For Gen Z

  1. Scottsdale, AZ
  2. Arlington, VA
  3. Boise, ID
  4. San Francisco, CA
  5. Fort Lauderdale, FL
  6. San Diego, CA
  7. Cambridge, MA
  8. Irvine, CA
  9. Washington, DC
  10. Albuquerque, NM

Related Articles: