Employers have a Gen Z problem—or at least many believe they do.
Business Insider reports growing employer concern that some recent graduates arrive without enough workplace readiness in areas such as communication, professionalism and critical thinking. Employers also worry about overreliance on AI.
But there's another side to the story.
Companies have simultaneously reduced many of the training, mentoring and developmental opportunities traditionally used to turn inexperienced workers into experienced ones.
That's an important contradiction.
Businesses want entry-level employees who can communicate professionally, exercise judgment, understand workplace norms, use AI appropriately and contribute quickly.
But by definition, entry-level workers haven't had much time to learn those things in a workplace.
The solution may therefore be less about finding the mythical "perfect" 22-year-old and more about rebuilding the systems that develop young employees after they're hired.
Why This Matters
For decades, entry-level positions served two purposes:
Companies got relatively inexpensive talent, and young workers received experience, mentorship and professional development.
If employers remove the development half of that equation while simultaneously raising expectations, the entry-level talent pipeline eventually breaks.
And that creates tomorrow's experienced-worker shortage.
Hiring Signal
You cannot hire experienced workers indefinitely if nobody is developing inexperienced ones.
CTA
Look at your entry-level positions and ask:
If we hired a smart, motivated person with 70% of what we need, could our organization develop the remaining 30% within a year?
If the answer is no, the problem may not be the talent pool.
It may be the training infrastructure. And it may be time to let StrikeForce help you to figure it out.