Redefining career growth: What Filipino millennials and Gen Z want from work

Across the Philippines, new career ideas are taking shape fuelled by the new generation of workers. Millennials and Gen Z are ambitious and pragmatic, but also value-driven and family-centred. They do want career progression but not at the expense of wellbeing or purpose. With skills gaps widening and expectations evolving, organisations must now ask not if they should adapt, but how quickly.

According to Ateneo de Manila University’s 2024 study on Filipino workers, financial independence matters for them yet many young Filipinos frame success as the ability to support their families and contribute to society. They prize learning and career growth, mental health, and meaningful work. Most importantly, they seek roles where personal achievement aligns with personal values. 

For the GenZ, that is not just a “perk” mindset; it’s a philosophy of work. Similarly for the millennials, it's important that they balance their philosophy of work with their philosophy of wellness and life. 

Organisations are now realising that they don’t lose younger talent due to underperformance, but because they’re under-supported. From onboarding to promotion, every interaction can either build commitment or break it. This article explores how millennials and Gen Z can be supported from the very start, laying the foundation for lasting engagement and loyalty.

Nearly a third of new hires make up their minds in the first week about whether they will stay for the long haul. Onboarding must do more than process paperwork; it should orient people to a future, not just a job. 

The managers can take charge from the start by pairing new joiners with mentors, personalise their learning plans, and explicitly connect their work to team and organisational goals. When a young employee can see where they are heading and who will help them get there, the calculus of loyalty changes.

According to the report, 72% of Gen Z have said that they left or considered leaving a role due to a lack of flexibility. A lot of managers misunderstand that flexibility isn’t chaos; it’s actually a choice with accountability. For example, some flex hours to navigate Manila commutes or hybrid models that respect collaboration will support wellbeing without denting output. 

Managers can set clear expectations on deliverables and communication, then trust adults to manage their time.

Career growth shouldn’t be a mystery. The managers must encourage and publish progression frameworks, tie skills to outcomes, and celebrate lateral as well as upward moves. Suggestions to develop employees also include micro-credentials and project to project rotations that are time-boxed and supported. 

Learning isn’t a one-off programme; it’s a rhythm. When growth is tangible and trackable, job-hopping looks less attractive.

The research also suggests that young professionals don’t expect perfect bosses; they expect present ones. Organisations have realised that it is prudent to train managers to give timely feedback, run effective one-to-ones, and escalate wellbeing concerns early. 

Coaching capability is the critical multiplier for engagement, performance, and retention. In the end, people don’t leave company cultures, they actually leave managers who can’t translate culture into daily practice.

For Filipino Millennials and Gen Z, purpose and loyalty isn’t lofty rhetoric; it’s practical alignment. Organisations could explore visibility to the workforce on how their roles contribute to customer value, national development, or community impact. Managers can encourage volunteer days, social impact sprints, or CSR projects that build skills as well as social good.