BRIDGING THE EDUCATIONAL GAP BETWEEN THE JOB MARKET AND DIGITAL NATIVES

Generation Z, as people born in the late 1990 till mid 2000, is the next wave of youngsters arriving to the job market in the next few years. They have characteristics that are not exactly the same of the previous generations (Y, X, millennials, boomers, etc.). In fact, literature reveals that this generation can be characterized as being very engaged with parents, teachers and others. They are also less likely to resist authority relationships than Gen Yers did, but will only perform for individuals when they are engaged in intensive working relationships. This generation, more than any other, suffer from the growing gap between the highly skilled and the unskilled. The technical skill gap is huge, but the nontechnical skill gap is even more pervasive. Managing Generation Z requires a huge remedial effort on broad transferable skills like work habits, interpersonal communication, and critical thinking and a huge investment in remedial technical training. Due to their characteristics, it is time to identify the needs and expectations of both youngsters and employers in order to maximize the potential of the candidates and help them to better integrate in the job market while helping employers to understand this young generation. In the context of the European Project iGEN - Interwork Between Gen Z and Employers, this paper presents some results concerning the generation Z in Portugal at this moment as well as trends for the future. Data was obtained through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Results are compared with the literature review in the field and draw some recommendations for the educators and job market.