Nice work if you can get it. Especially in BC. And especially if you’re under 35 years old. That’s because a new Angus Reid survey says 87% of people aged 18 to 34 would ‘prefer’ to work for socially and environmentally responsible companies, while 61% say they will only work for responsible companies.Moreover, almost half — 49% — say they’d be willing to get less pay to work for a “responsible” company.Ironically — or not — the survey was commissioned by the BC Automobile Association, which bills itself as a ‘BC Top Employer’ recognized for employee benefits, rewards and career opportunities despite Gen-Z’s aversion to the automobile.."We're noticing that many younger British Columbians are redefining what's important about work. They look beyond a job description and have high expectations about the values and actions of their potential employer,” said Shawn Pettipas, BCAA's Director of Corporate Purpose."We hire for a wide variety of roles and social and environmental responsibility comes up in pretty much every interview. They've read our Impact Report and they ask how they'll contribute to purpose and make a difference. They want to make sure it's a fit for their values and as a values-driven organization that's important to us too."That all depends on whether Millennials think car ownership is environmentally responsible.The irony is that Gen-Zs are the least likely to have drivers’ licences reflecting a commitment to public transit and environmental causes.In 2020, surveys showed fewer than 25% of 18-year-olds had drivers licences compared to 62% in 1997. A 2019 poll in the US found that half of all ride-sharing users with companies such as Uber were between the ages of 18 and 29.By contrast, 91% of ‘Boomers’ between the ages of 70 and 74 had theirs, including 69% of those 85 and older, including 88% of men..“It's too early to tell if the same will be true for Generation Z,"Washington Post.The trend is so pronounced, researchers have dubbed millennials the ‘go-nowhere’ generation.“It's too early to tell if the same will be true for Generation Z," the Washington Post writes. After all, "its youngest members are only 10 years old and the COVID-19 pandemic has likely interrupted some driving plans of older Gen-Zers." But if the trend holds, US carbon emissions will drop, as will car sales, and public policy will have to adapt. Especially if they want young people to sell them.
