Gen Z wants to move faster and there is a huge premium placed on time.

Solution: The option of shorter service contracts should exist.

Career patterns are changing. The typical trajectory of staying at one company for decades has declined since the turn of the century. Young Zers no longer talk about four to five years on the job, they're switching as much as every two years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "the median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 (9.8 years) was more than three times that of workers ages 25 to 34 years (2.8 years).[1] From a consistency standpoint, the four years as a high school student may be the longest-tenured position that Zers ever hold. Karin Kimbrough, the chief economist at LinkedIn, said in a statement that "it's normal for career starters to be in an experimental phase where they're still figuring out what they want out of a job, and aren't always ready and willing to settle[2]". This sets the generation up with major commitment issues that are directly at odds with the nature of current military contracts. Generally speaking, the standard military contract requires four years of active duty and some portion in the reserves. Although nuances exist, nearly all contracts have an eight-year "total commitment" to the force. Just the concept of eight years to the average 18-year-old Zoomer is frightening. Overall, Z places a massive emphasis on optionality. They want to keep up with the fast-moving information age and progress at a much quicker rate than their ancestors. There is a huge premium placed on speed and time. The military must keep up with this and satisfy the dilemma of the clock…

[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Tenure Summary §. USDL-22-1894 (2022).

[2] Hoff, Madison. “How Gen Z Is Winning the Great Resignation, from Pay Increases to Better Work-Life Balance.” Business Insider. Business Insider. Accessed April 10, 2023. https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-winning-great-resignation-changing-job-market-2022-6.

Matthew Weiss is currently an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. His book, “We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z” is available on amazon in paperback, e-book, and audiobook format.