What’s Trending: Career Minimalism
March 10, 2026
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What if Gen Z doesn’t want to climb the career ladder? What would happen if it’s not just Gen Z, but the whole workforce that’s quietly pushing back against what was once thought of as a staple of office life?
Meet career minimalism, the newest trend that’s taking over. But what if we told you it’s not that bad?
Challenge your assumptions with this mini article featuring some of the top publication’s opinions.
Gen Z does not want to be managers, according to the latest Glassdoor report (2025) by Stacia Doss. According to their findings, 68% wouldn’t pursue management if it weren’t for the paycheck or title. According to their predictions, only 1 of every 10 managers is expected to be Gen Z in 2026. This marks a complete shift from how previous generations worked, with their main ambitions being to climb the career ladder.
So, why is Gen Z redefining the workplace with career minimalism? Long story short: They would rather do something else. Job security isn’t granted; the pay rise doesn’t guarantee a higher quality of life; and burnout has been exacerbated by tech.
This is part of the reason why the first AI generation of grads are choosing healthcare, skilled trades, government, and education as their career choices. Consulting jobs were once thought to be the way forward toward career security, but now these roles are threatened by AI.
“As these workers enter a landscape of mass layoffs, AI disruption, and widespread burnout, their response isn’t to work harder or pursue rapid promotions. Instead, they’re prioritizing security and expansion over elevation.”
AI anxiety has 70% of Gen Z workers wondering whether their jobs will be there in the future. But you would be mistaken if you think that career minimalism means Gen Z is working any less or is less ambitious than previous generations—it’s just that they’re not relying on corporate America.
Side hustles have exploded, with 57% of Gen Z having a second job, according to Harris Poll. Not just them, though, 48% of Millennials, 31% of Gen X, and 21% of Boomers report having a side hustle. One of the most telling reasons is that they are diversifying their income streams while maintaining a foot in the corporate job security.
They’re not just taking on whatever jobs, though. Instead, they’ve prioritized their passions, social causes, and other jobs that are meaningful to them, even if these don’t fully pay their bills. As such, they’re also diversifying their portfolio and skills.
If you wonder what professional minimalism is? Here is Forbes’ definition, per Jonathen H. Westover, Ph.D:
“Career minimalism—the intentional scaling back of career intensity in favor of other life priorities—has become a mainstream workforce reality across generations.”
According to the author, this trend isn’t just happening with Gen Z; it’s happening across all generations in the workplace. There are several theories about why people are scaling back their careers, but the author argues that these are happening at the same time and feeding off each other—that is, burnout, tech, the economy, and the pandemic are all blended together.
In 2019, the World Health Organization recognized burnout as an occupational hazard, but during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, rather than scaling back, many workers were left to deal with the mix of everything. Remote work, though better for many than in-office work, blurred the work-life balance with the aid of technology. And then, the economic upheaval has just meant that wages are not really keeping up with inflation.
An interviewee put it like this: “An extra $30K won’t let me buy a house in this market, but it will cost me my weekends. No thanks.”
But here’s the thing: career minimalism is not bad for anyone. Companies have struggled with engagement for the last few years, but career minimalism doesn’t mean that employees work less. Instead, productivity remains stable in companies that are strictly working 40-hour workweeks, as research has found. Employees can pursue their passion projects while keeping their freedom, leading to happier workers.
So what’s going to happen next? Caroline Castrillon’s article for Forbes attempts to answer this question and to give pointers for companies and older workers to fully embrace this new career norm.
According to Gallup, only 21% of the workforce is engaged in their work, and Glassdoor’s chief economist, Daniel Zhao, says that people are not being rewarded for their effort.
So, why are side hustles rising across all generations?
This, in turn, has made non-linear careers pretty much a new normal. And this actually has many benefits for everyone involved, as employees go beyond their regular 9-to-5 to diversify their skill set. As such, mid and late careers are now switching to portfolio careers and lateral moves, a strategic move that improves a worker’s security, autonomy, and fulfilment.
There have been significant factors behind this, such as faster skill obsolescence, remote and hybrid roles making workers less dependent on geography, and a rise of project-based work, both in and outside the office.
So, what can companies do? Maybe workers are not leaving, but how can they ensure that everyone meets their goals—that is, maintaining or improving productivity without affecting workers’ outside endeavours? Some companies have begun working shorter workweeks, blocking meetings from certain days, creating clearer job expectations, and creating internal mobility programs, among other things.
“Companies that adapt to these expectations will find it easier to attract and retain talent in a competitive labor market.”
Career minimalism is a new career approach that companies can fight against or embrace. At the end of the day, workers are looking for work-life balance, and if promotion salaries don’t match the amount of work or responsibility, they will look for meaning somewhere else.
So, should companies stop trying to promote internally? No, definitely not, but unless they really match workload to expected hours put in, people will continue to pass for something that’s better for them.
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