{"id":4975,"date":"2026-08-05T16:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975"},"modified":"2026-08-05T16:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:09:54","slug":"forget-work-life-balance-gen-z-say-their-top-priority-is-actually-career-growth-with-93-aspiring-for-the-c-suite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975","title":{"rendered":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Career growth ranked as Gen Z\u2019s No. 1 priority when choosing a full-time employer\u2014outranking work-life balance, salary, workplace culture, and staying ahead of technology, according to a new survey of more than 900 summer interns at accounting firm KPMG. Their ambitions don\u2019t stop at landing a first job or earning a promotion. Nearly all respondents, 93%, said they aspire to reach the C-suite or senior executives during their careers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more What OpenAI\u2019s finance team is becoming in the age of AI<\/a><\/p>\n

But KPMG said that ambition will require more than simply moving up the corporate ladder\u2014it will require developing the skills that make employees worth investing.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cGen Z sees the risk clearly,\u201d Derek Thomas, KPMG U.S.\u2019s national partner-in-charge of university talent acquisition, said in a press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLean on AI for all the thinking early on, and you never build the instincts that make you a strong employee. What\u2019s striking is that they\u2019re guarding those reps, the hands-on work that builds real human skills, because they know it\u2019s what turns an entry-level hire into someone worth developing and investing in.\u201d<\/p>\n

While broader surveys have found that work-life balance remains a top priority for Gen Z workers, the KPMG findings offer a different snapshot of the generation\u2019s ambitions: many young professionals, seeing the competitive nature of today\u2019s workplace, are intently focused on climbing the corporate ladder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the payoff for reaching the highest levels of leadership can be significant. KPMG partners in the United Kingdom earned roughly \u00a3880,000 (about $1.2 million) during fiscal year 2025 alone\u2014an 11% rise compared to the previous year, according to Business Insider<\/em>.\u00a0Beyond KPMG, the average S&P 500 CEO earned $18.9 million in 2024, up 7% from the previous year, according to data compiled by AFL-CIO.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Gen Zers are walking a tightrope between embracing AI and protecting their human edge<\/h2>\n

As AI becomes a bigger part of the workplace, Gen Z has been left trying to solve a new career equation: how to use the technology as a competitive advantage without becoming dependent on it.<\/p>\n

Critical thinking ranked as the No. 1 skill the intern respondents believe will distinguish entry-level employees over the next five years. Overall, 76% said long-term career success will require both strong human skills and the ability to direct AI agents effectively.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the same time, Gen Z appears wary of becoming too dependent on technology. More than four in 10 respondents said their biggest concern is that overreliance on AI could weaken critical thinking.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d expect the most digitally native generation we\u2019ve ever hired to say the technology is their edge. Instead, they\u2019re telling us that critical thinking, judgment, and communication are what will set them apart,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n

Read more SpaceX races toward Musk\u2019s $1 trillion dream\u2014just as insiders can start selling<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For employers, he added, the challenge isn\u2019t simply teaching employees how to use AI. It\u2019s creating opportunities to develop the human skills that are becoming even more valuable in the AI era.<\/p>\n

Fortune<\/em> reached out to KPMG for further comment.<\/p>\n

From Jamie Dimon to Andy Jassy, CEOs agree: Human skills will separate AI winners from losers\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Striking the right balance between AI literacy and uniquely human skills like critical thinking is becoming a growing priority among business leaders.<\/p>\n

Billionaire Shark Tank<\/em> star and KIND bar founder Daniel Lubetzky has said his advice for Gen Z is to double down on the skills that technology cannot easily replicate.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBeing a critical thinker is in high demand, and they\u2019re going to become greater demand. AI is real, but it doesn\u2019t have the creativity that humans have,\u201d Lubetzky told Fortune<\/em> last year. \u201cIf, as young people, you lean into your curiosity, in your critical thinking and in your creativity, you will win.\u201d<\/p>\n

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has delivered a similar message, saying that while AI will reshape the workforce, employees who develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills will remain valuable.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice to people would be critical thinking, learn skills, learn your EQ, learn how to be good in a meeting, how to communicate, how to write. You\u2019ll have plenty of jobs,\u201d Dimon said on Fox News<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Andy Jassy, who helms the No. 1 company on the Fortune 500\u2014Amazon\u2014has echoed that view, and said that asking better questions is central to solving problems and driving innovation.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe ask why, and why not, constantly,\u201d he wrote in his letter to shareholders last year. \u201cIt helps us deconstruct problems, get to root causes, understand blockers, and unlock doors that might have previously seemed impenetrable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump claims \u2014\u00a0yet again \u2014\u00a0that a deal to reopen Hormuz is close<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Career growth is a higher priority for Gen Z than work-life balance, workplace culture, and even salary, according to a KPMG survey of interns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers"],"yoast_head":"\nForget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Career growth is a higher priority for Gen Z than work-life balance, workplace culture, and even salary, according to a KPMG survey of interns.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cross Country Moving Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\"},\"headline\":\"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975\"},\"wordCount\":795,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Careers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975\",\"name\":\"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?p=4975#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cross Country Moving Team\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team","og_description":"Career growth is a higher priority for Gen Z than work-life balance, workplace culture, and even salary, according to a KPMG survey of interns.","og_url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975","og_site_name":"Cross Country Moving Team","article_published_time":"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa"},"headline":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite","datePublished":"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975"},"wordCount":795,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp","articleSection":["Careers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975","name":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite - Cross Country Moving Team","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-05T16:09:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/be5311604579b43128fedcc0a237762b.webp","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4975#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Forget work-life balance: Gen Z say their top priority is actually career growth, with 93% aspiring for the C-suite"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/","name":"Cross Country Moving Team","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1b8121bfb9a1c55d1fff3fca675fceaa","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com"],"url":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}