Workforce Generations

​We hear a lot about the many generations in the workforce. But just how many are there? And what different ages make up the generations? Let’s take a look at some stats Canada data from the 2021 census so we can better understand who is in the workforce.

Youngest to Oldest we have…

Gen Z: 1997- 2012. I bet a lot of you have one of these folks at home! This generation is aged 11-26. For context, if you followed the traditional high school, university, get a job – you’re getting that job at age 20-22 depending on your post secondary. These folks are very much in the office and in the traditional post school workforce.

Millennials aka GenY: 1981-1996 are middle aged now. The youngest is 27 and the oldest are 42! They are wearing the boss pants and making decisions these days. This population is also the fastest growing (immigration) with 8.6% growth numbers.  They also make up the largest share of working age population (15-64). By 2029 they will become the largest generation in the country.

GenX aka the forgotten generation are born between 1966 and 1980 which means they are 43-57.

Baby boomers: 1946-1965 aged 58- 77 most of them are transitioning into retirement and now are less than a quarter of the total population.

I acknowledge that there’s some folks older than 77 in the workforce, but the number is insignificant. There are around Million Canadians aged 77-84. Because the working aged population is defined as 15-64 there is not data on how many of these people are still working. I would venture to estimate that most are working part time and not eligible for benefits anyway.

Some other generational considerations:

• GenZ and Millennials are the most educated and diverse generations.
• Gen X will never hold the position of the largest generation.
• Gen Alpha is next up under Z They are born between 2013 and 2021. So still children.
• More than half of immigrants who settled in Canada from 2016/17 to 2020/21 were Millennials
• Gen Z is the second fastest growing population
• As already noted Millennials make up the largest portion of the working population.  GenX is next with 29.5% then 19.7% of Boomers and 17.6% of GenZ. Remember most of Gen Z are still in school.
• GenZ as dubbed the older Millennial as geriatric and declared that gifs and mems are dead.
• Cities have way more Millennials.
• Gen X is been the most successful generation in history in not being a click bate headline.

How do you think group benefits (product, user experience, etc) needs to evolve to better meet the needs of the current working force mix?