Expectations of young people towards their future work and career after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak in Poland

Abstract

PURPOSE: The main objective of the study is to identify the expectations of young people towards their future jobs and their career development after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak in Poland.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The main study method was the survey method. The subjects were individuals born after 1990 (representatives of Generation Y) in full-time and part-time graduate and undergraduate programmes of the biggest private and state universities of technology and humanities in the Lublin region. The study was anonymous and encompassed a sample of 140 students. The surveys were conducted in the third quarter of 2020, after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak.

FINDINGS: The respondents would like their future, post-pandemic jobs to be interesting and consistent with their interests and competencies. A job must entail a decent salary that will allow them to live a prosperous life and pursue their hobbies. Good workplace atmosphere and a possibility of work-life balance are more important than promotions and classic career. Many students see opening their own business and self-employment to those ends.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study results seem to be particularly important in the context of choosing an optimum method for managing young, qualified employees, such as (most likely) the future university graduates who are about to enter the new, reshaped labour market. Defining their expectations towards future jobs will allow employers to make sustainable, optimum and effective use of the potential of this unique generation.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study was conducted right after the outbreak of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, which significantly remodelled the modern economy and labour market in Poland, and thus had a significant impact on the way young people perceive their future work.