MILLENNIALS AROUND THE WORLD OPTIMISTIC ABOUT WORK PROSPECTS BUT SHARPLY CRITICAL OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS’ ABILITY TO PROVIDE NEEDED SKILLS
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Global Poll on The Future of Work: Most Believe They Will Need To Return to School to Succeed In Jobs of the Future
MALAGA, Spain (Embargoed for release September 15, 2017)– At a time of dramatic economic and social disruption and rapid technological change, most Millennials around the world are satisfied with their work lives and optimistic about their career prospects but sharply critical of their governments’ ability to provide the work skills needed to succeed in the future.
The Eisenhower Fellowships Global Poll on the Future of Work found that more than half of the nearly 2,000 Millennials surveyed in 20 countries on six continents around the world feel their most recent education prepared them for their current jobs but overwhelmingly believe they will have to return to school to learn the new skills they will need in the future.
Displaying a striking degree of consensus and strong beliefs across geographical regions on most issues related to the workplace, the respondents overwhelmingly expressed the importance of a work-life balance, their deep desire for mentorship and their affinity for work with a larger social purpose, with the ability to make a strong contribution to their organization.
More than two-thirds of respondents believe their current jobs will still exist in a decade, nearly two-thirds predict that men and women will be treated equally in the workplace, and a majority in virtually all regions displayed a strong entrepreneurial spirit, saying their preference is to work in the private sector. Of those, nearly three in five in Africa and the Middle East say they want to start their own business.
The Eisenhower Fellowships poll surveyed 1,998 Millennials with an average age of 29, divided roughly equally between men and women and between those without a college degree and respondents with an undergraduate or graduate degree. The poll was conducted in 10 languages by SocialSphere, a public opinion research firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The poll results were announced today at a global Eisenhower Fellowships conference in Malaga, Spain, where more than 325 influential leaders from 49 countries are meeting this week to explore the Future of Work, a subject of vital importance in every region of the world.
“This poll confirms that Millennials are living in a hyper-connected global community with largely shared values,” said John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and founder and CEO of SocialSphere. “They are engaged at home and in their careers, focused on making a positive impact – and seek to be empowered by increased mentorship and opportunities for more education and training by their governments.”
Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents committed to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.