This ISC Paris-BVA Xsight study analyzes young people's vision of the world of work and their definition of professional success.
This survey is based on the responses of a nationally representative sample of 1,100 young people aged 18 to 24.
These students or young professionals describe their dream job, with a winning triptych: a good salary, a good working atmosphere and free time for their personal life.
Here are the main lessons from this study unveiled this Thursday, February 29.
Entrepreneurship and international life are a dream
29% of young people say that becoming self-employed is their vision of a dream career.
Motivated by successful entrepreneurs or influencers praising financial independence on social networks: being your own boss, master of your destiny and your schedule, seems a must.
For Jean-Christophe Hauguel, director of ISC Paris, “the aspiration to create a business increases from 24 to 29% between the two barometers, there is necessarily an element of myth in this trend but it is very encouraging for the entrepreneurial fiber of French society which is a key element of innovation and the good performance of the economic situation.
»
International work is also popular with 14% of young people who already see themselves pursuing their career abroad.
But be careful, the start-up is no longer a dream, only 2% would see themselves there.
Young people are showing themselves less and less attracted to the public sector (civil servants), which is only favored by 10% of respondents (compared to 14% in 2022).
Large companies, despite their reassuring image and their influence, are also unable to stand out: only 10% of young people believe that their dream job awaits them in a large French company.
The salary is fair compared to the good atmosphere
Unsurprisingly, and bluntly: 44% of young people say that remuneration is the main element that makes them choose a company, just before the atmosphere at work.
More and more young people say that earning a good living is the absolute priority, regardless of working conditions (23% compared to 16% in 2022).
When asked what for them is the sign of professional success, 35% of young people also point to remuneration.
Moreover, 26% of workers dared to negotiate their salary upon hiring.
Young people are also already looking for a real balance between professional and personal life.
43% of them declare that having free time for their personal life is an essential element of the “dream job”, compared to 37% in 2022, and 46% of them consider that respecting this balance influences positively on happiness at work.
Commitments in terms of CSR, values and integrity come well after much more personal considerations.
“We find a form of paradox where we think that ecological issues are crucial from a macro and political point of view but without really appropriating it for our own work as an individual or in our company.
» adds Jean-Christophe Hauguel.
47% see themselves changing careers
29% of young people say they want to continue in the same profession after their first professional experience.
Even more striking, 47% of the young people questioned are already considering a change in their career, opting either for the creation of a business (15%), the exercise of a more meaningful profession (12%), or a management different life or a total change of sector.
Jean-Christophe Hauguel comments on this striking result of the study: “It is a real challenge for companies to retain their talents, especially since a new contradiction appears here since 80% of young workers say they are satisfied with their job »
Also read: Erasmus is also for young entrepreneurs
A large majority of young people already on the job market are actually satisfied with their current job (80%), but a minority is completely satisfied (27%).
In detail, young workers particularly appreciate the autonomy granted to them in their missions (86%), particularly when they have followed higher education (89%), the working atmosphere (83%) and the relationships that they have with their colleagues.
To achieve these career objectives, young people expect from their post-baccalaureate training, firstly, to obtain a diploma recognized by employers and skills, then the acquisition of skills, internships, quality teaching, opening up to the international world… 54% of them believe that it is no longer necessary to study for a long time to succeed, and the remaining 38% declare that they would have liked to do a manual profession (cook, pastry chef, florist, landscaper…).