'Career Catfishing': 1 in 3 Gen Zers Accepted a New Job and Didn't Show Up on Day One A new report out of the UK shows that some Gen Z new hires are pulling a disappearing act on day one.
By David James
Have you had the not-so-wonderful experience of sending out resumes to job listings and not getting so much as a reply? Ghosting doesn't feel great, and a new study by CV Genius shows that a sizeable portion of Gen Z workers in the UK are turning the tables on unresponsive hiring managers.
CV Genius polled 1,000 British workers about a myriad of work-related issues, and found these surprising stats on workplace disappearing — or never appearing — acts.
- 1 in 3 Gen Z (34%) have accepted a job, then never showed up and offered no explanation. This move has been termed "career catfishing."
- 1 in 4 Millennials (24%), 11% of Gen X, and 7% of Boomers have engaged in this.
It's not quite as bratty as it sounds, writes Chloe Berger in Fortune: "At the moment, Gen Z is contending with an onerous battle to land an entry-level, full-time role. The class of 2025 is set to apply to more jobs than the graduating class prior, already submitting 24% more applications on average this past summer than seniors did last year."
Related: Gen Z Is Using AI, ChatGPT at Work and Proud of It
As a survival tactic, that could mean that Gen-Zers are taking the first offer they get, and then not showing up if something better comes along. It's understandable to some degree, however, a simple, "I decided to take on a role at another company" email would be the more professional and decent way to handle it.
Here are some other surprising results of CV Genius's survey of UK workers:
- Bare-Minimum Mondays: 59% say they put in minimal effort at the start of the week, aiming to avoid burnout.
- Over-Employment: 41% of Gen Z said they've worked multiple remote jobs simultaneously without telling employers.
- Remote Rewards: 53% said they would choose to work remotely over in-office, even if it meant no chance of promotion or higher pay.
