The 7-year itch: Why Gen Z is reinventing careers (and how education needs to catch up)

Gone are the days when a 30-year career with one company was a badge of honour. For today’s professionals—especially Gen Z—the idea of doing the same thing for decades sounds less like stability and more like a slow existential crisis.

During his keynote at the AuSAE MX 2025 conference, Scott Millar, CEO of BOP Industries, dropped a stat that caught our attention: younger generations are now changing careers (not just jobs) approximately every seven years. Let’s unpack why this is happening, what it means for the future of work, and how learning institutions, especially associations, can meet the moment.

The research backs it up

It’s not just a gut feeling or a catchy soundbite. There’s plenty of data from right here in Australia and New Zealand that confirms this trend is real and worth paying attention to:

• RMIT Online (2023) found that nearly 1 in 4 Australians under 30 are actively considering a career change. That’s around 700,000 people rethinking everything from their job title to their industry.
• McCrindle research predicts Gen Z Australians will have 18 jobs across six different careers in their working lives.
• The University of Queensland echoes this, stating that most people will change careers between 3 and 7 times over a lifetime, with younger professionals sitting firmly at the higher end of that range.

This is more than job-hopping—it’s identity-shifting. It’s flexibility by design.

What’s fuelling the shift?

When it comes to work, a paycheque isn’t the only thing Gen Z wants. They’re looking for:

• purpose-driven work
• work-life balance that actually means balance
• career growth

Let’s look at some of the findings in Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey. Of the Gen Z respondents, 89% said that having a sense of purpose keeps them motivated and engaged at work. If that wasn’t evidence enough, when asked why they chose to work for their current employer, the top three reasons were:

1. good work-life balance
2. opportunities for career progression
3. access to learning and development.

If those needs go unmet, younger workers don’t simply hesitate. They pivot to another role, industry or entirely new career. According to Deloitte’s research, 21% of Gen Zs are no longer working in the industry they intended, and 31% say they intend to switch employers in the next two years.

How micro-credentials can appeal to Gen Z

When it comes to learning, Gen Zs put a priority on flexibility and relevance. Enter: micro-credentials. These short, focused, stackable qualifications offer:

• fast, relevant upskilling
• flexible learning that fits around work/life
• transferable skills that apply across multiple roles and sectors

Whether it’s data storytelling, digital marketing, AI literacy or leadership essentials, micro-credentials give learners exactly what they need, when they need it.

Why associations are perfectly positioned

This is where associations can (and should) shine. As the trusted voice in your industry, you can provide:

• tailored, on-demand education
• certification pathways that matter
• community learning and mentoring
• future-of-work-aligned upskilling

You’ve already got the network. Now it’s about matching that with smart, agile learning opportunities that support members through every twist and turn of their careers.

Conclusion

Now more than ever, the question isn’t if your members will change careers. It’s when they’ll do it and whether they’ll see your association as a partner on that journey or a relic of the past.

Offer them relevance, agility and community, and you’ll stay indispensable—no matter where their careers take them.