Picsart Study of U.S. Workers Reveals Lack of Passion, Growing Entrepreneurial Aspirations Amidst Younger Generations, and Increased Need for Flexibility

New research shows that nearly 4 in 5 workers don’t believe their current job is the key to happiness, reveals new trends and insights into how employers can respond

Picsart, the world’s leading digital creation platform and a top 20 most downloaded app worldwide, unveiled new research on how employees want to work and how employers can improve their workplaces. The study — commissioned by Picsart and conducted by Wakefield Research on 2,000 nationally representative workers across the U.S. — was deployed to gain insights into today’s talent and their attitudes towards their jobs, entrepreneurship, and creative pursuits, amidst the continuing Great Resignation and growing creator economy.

The results from the report — 2022 Creator Economy Trends: Gen Z and Millennials at Work — show that there is overwhelming room for improvement when it comes to happiness at work. According to the study, nearly 4 in 5 (78%) of workers say that their current job is not the best way to pursue their passions. Employees today instead view entrepreneurship as the best way to pursue their passions, especially Gen Z and millennial workers, the vast majority of whom are more interested now in starting their own businesses and are confident in their ability to succeed as entrepreneurs. This generational split illustrates how digital natives are increasingly looking inwards for career opportunities, rather than to their existing employers.

“The impact of the past two years coupled with the rise of the creator economy means that employees’ attitudes are changing rapidly in terms of how they are thinking about work and its place in their lives,” said Dr. Oli Mival, Senior Director of Global Research & Insight at Picsart. “For employers, evolving accordingly is key for thriving organizations, and companies that dismiss these preferences risk losing top talent in today’s market.”

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“For employers, evolving accordingly is key for thriving organizations, and companies that dismiss these preferences risk losing top talent in today’s market.”

Key Employee Insights:

1. Gen Z and millennial workers have the biggest entrepreneurial aspirations: 4 in 5 Gen Z and millennial workers are more interested in starting their own businesses than they were pre-pandemic. 82% of Gen Z and 83% of millennials are more interested now in starting their own businesses, compared to 59% of boomers and 75% of Gen X.
2. Gen Z and millennial workers are confident in their potential to turn their passions and creative skills into businesses: 78% of Gen Z and 77% of millennials believe that they already have a creative passion they could turn into a lucrative business, compared to 63% of Gen X and 62% of boomers.
3. Workers today view entrepreneurship as the number one way they can pursue their passions: 41% of all employees say that a side hustle or entrepreneurship is the best way to pursue their passions. 24% find the best way through hobbies; only 22% find it through their current jobs and 12% through different jobs.
4. Employees today are confident in their ability to find a better job: 85% of workers say they are somewhat confident they would be able to find a better job in a few months if they wanted to.
5. Side hustles among significant reasons workers are confident in finding greener pastures: For those who are confident a better job is within reach, 1 in 5 (20%) say it’s because they have a side hustle they can pursue full-time. 59% say it’s because of marketable skills and experience, 39% say it’s because they know people who could help them get a better job, and 28% are reassured by the realization that the job market is tight.

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How Employers Can Respond:

1. Allow employees to choose when they work, not just where: More than 4 in 5 (84%) of all employees say that they are more likely to work for a company that is asynchronous, where team members don’t need to be online and working at the same time. A majority of employees (53%) say they prefer a hybrid work arrangement that mixes remote and onsite work.
2. Support side hustles: When it comes to the top 3 ways employees say their employers can help them pursue their passions 1.64% say they should offer schedule flexibility 2. 52% say allow remote work 3.41% say provide financial assistance to invest in promising side hustles