Leadership a low priority for millennial staff

Millennials in the workplace are less concerned about being promoted or stepping into management than they are about developing their own career path and professional skills, according to a new study by ManpowerGroup.
 
The report, entitled Millennials: A Career for Me, surveyed over 19,000 Millennials in 25 different countries, examining the priorities and work ethics of this key demographic.
 
“Contrary perhaps to previous beliefs, Millennials are driven by having a sense of purpose as well as accessing opportunities to build relevant skills to create job security,” said Richard Fischer, managing director of ManpowerGroup Australia and New Zealand.
 
While 44% of Millennials chose learning to lead or to manage others as their focus, 56% opted for developing their individual skills. Additionally, 77% would switch jobs for the same pay as long as they received further skills training.
 
Only 22% of Australian Millennials aspired to leadership within their firm. Of these, 10% said they wished to own their own company while 7% wanted to get to the top of an organisation.
 
The ever present gender gap
 
One area of concern was an apparent gap between Australian Millennial men and women in their leadership aspirations. While 24% of male employees wished to reach some sort of management position, only 18% of women felt the same. This is just slightly above the global average.
 
“The gap in the leadership aspirations between men and women is unfortunately likely indicative of the opportunities women feel are available to them in Australia currently. This suggests we still have work to do to ensure women feel supported and encouraged to go after positions of leadership,” Fischer said.
 
Employers must find ways to entice and engage Millennials in the workforce, he continued. This can be done by offering career security, focusing on variety & mobility, having regular career conversations with staff, and being open to alternative work models, he added.