The nationwide study “Youth and Work 2025”, examining the attitudes of Generation Z (under-29s) toward work, education, and the future, was conducted by the Hellenic General Confederation of Labour’s Labour Institute (INE/GSEE) in collaboration with ALCO.

The research paints a picture of a generation striving for dignity and opportunity in an environment of job insecurity and exhaustion.

1. Economic Dependence and Lack of Autonomy

Only 20% of young workers live independently.

45% still live with their families (rising to 65% for part-time workers), and 30% live with a partner or friend.

Just 30% contribute financially to rent or housing costs.

70% report their income is insufficient for basic needs, and 62% acknowledge financial dependence on their parents.

This generation experiences prolonged dependence on family, not by choice but by necessity.

The survey links this phenomenon to low wages, high housing costs, and an underdeveloped social safety net. Delayed financial independence postpones adult milestones such as setting up a household, starting a family, or establishing a professional identity. As the report notes, “This is a generation that works but cannot live independently, trapped between employment and the struggle for autonomy.”

2. Education-Employment Gap

38% say their job is unrelated to their education or training.

49% feel their education did not adequately prepare them for the labor market.

86% express a strong willingness for ongoing learning.

65% feel confident in the digital skills needed for their jobs.

The research highlights a disconnect between education and the labor market, reflecting both systemic gaps and the inability of businesses to absorb the new generation’s talent. Greece’s workforce remains low in organizational and technological density, preventing young graduates from fully utilizing their knowledge, digital skills, and creativity. The result is underemployment and frustration: Generation Z is highly educated but poorly integrated into high-value work.

3. Workplace Stress and Pressure

62% report that work negatively affects their personal life.

60% experience burnout, and 46% feel their job harms their health or sleep.

Only 21% report a positive work-life balance.

Overall job satisfaction stands at 35%, with 53% reporting stress.

The survey concludes that Generation Z faces a work environment where responsibility for well-being is shifted entirely onto the individual. Long hours, performance pressure, and limited collective protections contribute to widespread burnout and emotional fatigue. The blurring of personal and work boundaries has created a new form of workplace alienation: young workers are working more but feel less connected to their work, making job quality a critical mental health factor.

4. Values and Work Attitudes

For 70%, mental health takes priority over financial security.

73% believe work should have meaning beyond salary.

47% view work as a source of identity and self-esteem.

44% would change jobs if their current role does not reflect their values, even at the cost of income.

Only 36% feel their work allows initiative or idea expression, while creativity is recognized in just 24% of cases.

72% wish to work for companies that respect society and the environment.

Yet, 65% would accept informal or “under-the-table” work if no other options exist.

The study notes that Gen Z is redefining work, prioritizing authenticity, creativity, and emotional balance. Yet the acceptance of informal work highlights the depth of insecurity and the need for survival.

5. Institutional Trust and Collective Action

Trust in state protection institutions is extremely low: 15% trust them, while 65% do not.

30% report active union or labor representation at work.

36% have participated in a strike or collective action; 67% say they would join if they deemed the cause fair.

60% are aware of their labor rights.

The survey shows a generation with low institutional trust but a high willingness to act collectively, provided the cause is just and relevant to them.

6. Future Prospects

72% of young workers see no professional prospects in Greece; only 9% feel satisfied with their career outlook.

46% are interested in working abroad.

79% believe their parents’ generation had better social and labor conditions.

53% feel comfortable with both their work and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

65% say current conditions make starting a family unrealistic.

The survey illustrates a generation with limited confidence in the present and cautious hope for the future. Low job satisfaction and strong interest in emigration reveal a growing emotional and professional divide between young people and the Greek labor market.

While familiar with AI and technological change, young workers worry they may not benefit from these advances.

The inability to start a family under current working conditions highlights that precarity extends beyond employment, threatening to become a lifelong condition.

The study portrays a socially and professionally educated, sensitive, and values-driven generation, yet one living under low expectations and structural uncertainty. Without wage improvements, stronger job stability, reinforced collective protections, and investment in mental health and education, no brain regain policy can succeed.

As the report concludes: Generation Z is not just seeking a job—they are demanding a meaningful and fair future.