ABSTRACT
This book deals with Generation Y, people born in the 1980s, or in the late 1970s, and their role in consumer and labour markets. Young consumers, and to a certain extent Generation Y, have been subject to a great deal of research from a marketing perspective. However, in labour markets this emerging generation will also have a strong impact by bringing a new set of ideas, values and attitudes to the employee–employer relationship and how work is being done. Employers are increasingly asked by employees to offer a nice work environment, attractive terms and personal development, thus reflecting Generation Y’s need for self-realisation at work—ideals that may be derived from Generation Y’s coming-of-age in our consumption-oriented society. On the one hand, the changes cause frustration and generational conflicts. On the other hand, organisations need a demanding, creative and flexible workforce to stay competitive in a world of fierce competition, cost pressure and increasingly demanding customers.
