Over half the Gen Z workers in an Irish survey said remote and hybrid work has benefitted their careers, more than double compared to Gen Xers
- Around 55% of Gen Z workers in Ireland felt remote and hybrid work was beneficial to their careers.
- That's according to a new survey polling how Irish workers feel about remote work since the pandemic.
Gen Z workers in Ireland are optimistic about the opportunities remote and hybrid work presents saying they have found it to be beneficial to their career progression, according to a new survey by National Broadband Ireland in partnership with Grow Remote.
The survey, published Monday, polled 1,236 workers across the Republic of Ireland about their perception of remote and hybrid work since the start of the pandemic and found that 55% of Gen Z workers from the ages of 18 to 24 felt that it has had a positive impact on their career.
Meanwhile only 23% of 45-54 year old workers surveyed felt that remote and hybrid work has benefitted their careers.
Some 57% of all workers felt remote work in Ireland opened them up to better job opportunities.
Just over half of workers think that employers needed to create better access to the company's culture for remote employees. The survey, which used insights from 71 members of Grow Remote, found that 78% of those members think remote workers don't feel as connected to the company culture.
A quarter of all workers felt that its a major risk that remote and hybrid workers are missing out on feeling included and a similar amount think that remote working will stunt career growth.
Grow Remote did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the findings.
Gen Z workers tend to have higher demands about workplace benefits than their older counterparts and flexible work is high on the list.
In fact, 71% of 18 to 24-year-olds around the world said they would quit their jobs and start looking for another if their company demanded they return to the office full-time, a 2022 report from the ADP Research Institute found.
However employers are concerned about the effects of virtual work on Gen Z. Executives at Big Four firms Deloitte and PWC told the Financial Times that workers who graduated during the pandemic have weaker teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills.
Jackie Henry, Deloitte UK's managing partner, told the FT that the younger cohort of workers are not as confident and are "used to working in an isolated way, so struggle with teamwork and how they work in office and on client sites."