September 24, 2025
91% of Gen Z Put Life on Hold Until They Earn Enough
Buying a first home, starting a family, or committing to other major milestones once marked the natural progression of early adulthood. Yet for Gen Z, those decisions increasingly come with a price tag attached.
New findings from SurveyMonkey’s 2025 Workplace Culture and Trends study reveal that 91% of Gen Z workers are postponing these steps until they reach a specific income level.
The nationally representative survey of 3,573 U.S. full-time employees shows how financial security has become the foundation for the youngest generation at work. This doesn’t mean Gen Z lacks ambition—quite the opposite. Around 80% say they want to reach top leadership roles. But the path to those roles looks different. It’s one that favours balance, acknowledgement, and flexibility rather than loyalty to a single employer.
Enter Gen Zen
When it comes to career attitudes, only 28% of Gen Z workers say they are satisfied in their current role, compared with 47% of Gen X. A third of Gen Z respondents say they would leave their employer to advance their career, showing a readiness to move on if opportunities for growth feel limited.
Work-life balance also takes on new meaning for this generation. While 77% of Gen Z describe their balance as healthy, 67% still believe personal sacrifices are necessary to succeed. The result is a push and pull between ambition and rest that older generations often approached differently.
Recognition adds another twist: 19% of Gen Z say they actually feel happy when receiving work messages outside office hours, compared with only 7% of Gen X.
Taken together, the study outlines the rise of “Gen Zen,” a mindset defined less by burnout and blind loyalty and more by a determination to align work with personal values and to delay traditional milestones until financial security is guaranteed.
