Research · 24 February 2026
«The job I'd want»
Two survey rounds with 2,139 students close to graduation: what they look for in a job, the kind of organisation they want to join, the city where they want to build a career — and what changed in a year.
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- Career growth, pay, job security: these are the three criteria Gen Z weighs a job offer with. Company welfare comes last.
- In one year career growth lost 4.5 points as the top criterion, while job security gained 4.3.
- Eight students out of ten expect between €1,000 and €2,000 net a month in their first job.
- The job they want is varied, challenging, creative and flexible — measured by goals, not by hours.
- They look for large, global, innovative organisations. And ones with a purpose: it matters more to women and to students in the Centre and South.
- The ideal city has affordable housing, public transport, collaborative spaces and is open to diversity.
A GATEREI research report, run in two rounds over the 2023/2024 (1,139 students at 27 universities) and 2024/2025 (1,000 students at 22 universities) academic years. The comparisons between rounds, the sampling methodology and the breakdowns by gender, geographical area and academic performance are in the complete document.