NZ baby boomers and work

New Zealand baby boomers and work

Work provides meaning for New Zealand baby boomers. They universally (95%) feel they have been able to make a meaningful contribution in their job; 83% say work is important to their self-esteem and that it keeps them young (83%). For the vast majority of New Zealand baby boomers, work is an important part of who they are (80%). But they expect to have more than a job. Unlike their predecessor cohorts, they expect to get pleasure, satisfaction and fulfillment from their work (85% agree), and they want to continue to have opportunities to grow, learn and develop (78% agree).

They differentiate between meaningful work (which they value) and jobs. Two-thirds say they don’t need to have a job to feel good about themselves, yet they universally enjoy meaningful work. Three-quarters of New Zealand baby boomers say they would not be willing to work at a boring job even if the money were good, compared to 63% of US baby boomers.

Whether they work for others or for themselves, two-thirds of New Zealand baby boomers will focus their energies and invest their time in the next 5-10 years on excelling at their job.

The core vitality of New Zealand baby boomers will continue to make them valuable, productive contributors in the workplace – if employers can keep them there. 30% plan to start a new career; 38% say they will be running their own business, 21% will start one. 60% say they like the idea of starting a new career or job if and when they retire. Huber & Skidmore (2003), seeing similar trends overseas, described this as the “elderpreneur” phenomenon.

New Zealand baby boomers, after all, see endless opportunities before them and have very low resistance to change. They are risk takers and they back themselves (97% trust their own instincts). They are currently at the height of their productivity; retain youthful, vigorous approach to work, and exhibit a great capacity to continue to learn.

They are not slowing down. Eighty percent of New Zealand baby boomers say they would rather have too much to do and risk being stressed than too little and be bored; just half agree they have begun to slow down somewhat and two-thirds disagree with the statement, “All I want out of life is enough to be comfortable, more than that is not worth the effort”. They believe that hard work yields results (65%).

They do exhibit some characteristics commonly associated with more experienced workers, however. They have a strong moral core (82% have a clear sense of right and wrong) and support respect for New Zealand values (63%). Two-thirds agree their jobs have offered them security.

New Zealand Baby Boomers are hungry for information. They almost universally thirst to learn new skills (90%) and try to keep an eye out for new things to try and learn (88%).

They may not have been born into the computer age, but their willingness to adopt and enjoy new technology is universal – 98% agree with the statement, “the possibilities afforded us by technology are only going to continue to grow”. More significantly, 93% agree that they know how to use it to make their lives more interesting and enjoyable. This characteristic is prevalent in baby boomers but not in the generational cohorts before them. It is counter-intuitive to the traditional view that “old people” are overwhelmed by how much information is now available to them, and suggests that baby boomers are prepared to use technology to help them gather the information they need. Half of all New Zealand baby boomers say they like being the first to know about new technologies (a characteristic of innovators and early adopters) and they are, in general, 20% less likely than their American counterparts to lament that society has become too dependent on technology.

New Zealand baby boomers are well educated and experienced. Their vitality and adventurousness mean that they are constantly discovering new and better ways to do things and they are willing to teach them to others (86% agree).

They are good at teaching others and not so arrogant as to assume they have all the answers. They acknowledge the importance of learning from the past and doing things in a proven way (70% agree), but bring their characteristic sense of challenge into play against established and entrenched ways of doing things (88% say it’s important to continually challenge established ways of doing things). Three-quarters of New Zealand baby boomers say they are not interested in sticking to the “tried and true” if there is a new and better way of doing things.

As well as agreeing in large numbers that younger people have a lot to learn from their generation (89%, 4% less than US baby boomers), they also feel they have a lot to learn from younger people (85% agree, compared to just 68% of US baby boomers). They don’t see any reason why young people and older people can’t enjoy the same things (91% agree) and 92% say they like knowing what young people are doing and creating. This augers well for integration in the workplace and for succession planning.

New Zealand baby boomers have high expectations of employers too; 85% feel that businesses have a social responsibility to their employees and the community.