Gen Z turning down high-paying jobs for workplaces with perks

In 2024, a high-paying salary isn’t always enough for a Gen Zer to accept a job offer — nope, they want perks too.

New research from recruitment agency Randstad found, after surveying over 27,000 workers, 39 percent of Australian workers wouldn’t take a job if it didn’t provide the benefits they want.

Krish Waje, 26, is a young professional living in the Blue Mountains. She previously worked as a business analyst for a major technology company.

In her previous role, Ms. Waje was in perk city. She received reimbursement for public transport costs, her phone bill, free lunches and health insurance.

Collectively she reckons the perks saved her around $10,000 to $20,000 on top of her annual salary.

When she was made redundant, she applied for another job at a different firm in a similar role and was shocked to learn that while the salary was on par, and nearing $100,000, the perks were non-existent.

Ms. Waje told news.com.au she “declined” the job with zero perks because she thought it was a sign the work culture wouldn’t be up to her standards.

She feared she would end up feeling “miserable” if there were no extras to make her daily life pleasant.

“If I am miserable and I hate going to work, I’ll start looking around for another job. I’m not going to stick with it because it isn’t worth feeling miserable,” she said.

Ms. Waje said benefits also indicate how a company feels about its workers.

“It builds up a culture for the place you work at. The younger generation, we value additional perks, and if you’re going to expect me to come into the office, then pay for my travel there,” she said.

Ms. Waje said ultimately, even though the salary was less, it was the fact that she wasn’t getting any perks to offset it that made her turn down the job opportunity.

The young worker said she doesn’t rule out the idea of ever accepting a job without perks, but it would have to be for a good reason.

She said she’d have to be “stepping up” in either salary or role. Otherwise, she wouldn’t see it as worth it.

At the end of the day, Ms. Waje said she’s not going to work because she’s passionate about it — she’s going there to earn money, and perks help her feel valued.

“I’m going to work because I have bills to pay but company culture is a big part of it. I’ve also had a job opportunity where there was a salary increase, but there was no culture there, so I turned it down.”

Ms. Waje said she knew the “money would be great” but that wouldn’t be enough to have her “stick around.”

General manager of Randstad Australia, Angela Anasis told news.com.au work perks are significant to Gen Zers.

“Work perks are especially important to Gen Z, as they are often on lower wages as they start out in their career and face significant cost-of-living pressures currently,” she explained.

“Perks such as flexible work arrangements, free breakfast and lunches, mental health support, subsidized health insurance and training and development allowances are effective ways of helping these workers to navigate the cost of living challenges, while also setting them up to earn more in the future.”

Ms. Anasis said she is seeing young people consider perks over salaries when deciding where to work.

“It’s certainly true that we are seeing talent weigh up a job offer more holistically and looking at the total employer offering,” she said.

“Outside of the salary, they are asking what work-life balance will I be able to have here? What additional benefits will I receive? What are my long-term job prospects at this employer? How is this employer addressing the issues of equity such as pay equity? And if the whole picture isn’t right – they will certainly decline an offer.”