St. Gallen Youth Study 2025
What moves the youth in Switzerland?
Hardly any generation is currently discussed as much as today’s youth. Their experiences with crises, their mental well-being, and their perspective on the world of work are frequently addressed.
Just a few years ago, an intensified «war for talent» was the focus: the primary goal was to attract young people. Meanwhile, the situation is more complex. For example, it has been observed that young people are partly aware of their importance to the working world, know their worth, and clearly state their conditions. «We say ‘no’ – to overwork, to a lack of appreciation, to working conditions that do not fit our lives,» note Esmailzadeh and colleagues (2022, p.20), for instance. With this self-confidence, Gen Z intends to and will change the world of work. Economist Christian Scholz noted early on: Earlier generations also said «no», «but now the no is accepted» (Hölter, Kuhlmann, Schirmer, Schmergal & Sutera, 2023, p. 10). This is because there are significantly fewer individuals in this generation. Thus, the younger generation introduces a new dynamic concerning the world of work and different life perspectives.
«Work is very important to many young people. However, only half are engaged with energy and commitment. Others feel emotionally detached or associate work more with burden », says Heike Bruch, Professor of Leadership at the University of St.Gallen and Director of the Institute for Leadership and Human Resources Management.
At the same time, major challenges are emerging, such as significantly increased economic uncertainty, transformation through Artificial Intelligence, or the exit of baby boomers from the labor market. Today’s young people are affected by these upheavals like no other generation. The dynamic of these upheavals is faster, more comprehensive, and more profound than just a few years ago. It is therefore all the more crucial to address them together through intergenerational dialogue and collaborative cooperation.
These challenges also create new opportunities, such as making the world of work more flexible, purpose-driven, and healthier. Furthermore, technologies, especially the use of AI, can lead to innovations that facilitate work and daily life or promote social participation. These opportunities concern all generations – for young people, for employers, and for Switzerland. This is precisely where the St.Gallen Youth Study 2025 comes in: it is not only a study about, but also for young people. It sheds light on the perspectives, experiences, and ideas of young people in Switzerland.
Our study aims to provide a basis for dialogue between generations and various stakeholders. It is also aimed at employers and other key stakeholders who live with young people, such as parents, and/or work with them. Its essential concern is to strengthen trust: trust between generations, but above all, trust in young people.
You are welcome to download our study here free of charge (German only). Please provide your contact details in the following contact form. Subsequently, the link to the study will be sent to you via email.
For the St.Gallen Youth Study, we explicitly investigated the understanding and experiences of young people compared to other age groups – based on a written survey of 3,000 Swiss individuals. Additionally, we conducted 20 qualitative interviews with young people. These conversations provide in-depth insights into the experiences, perspectives, and future aspirations of various young people and allowed us to incorporate them into the study.
For the written survey, a total of 3,000 individuals aged between 16 and 65 were surveyed in May and June 2025. This included primarily employees, but also students, pupils, and job seekers. The 5% job seekers were excluded from the analyses. Questions regarding satisfaction, mental health, fears, and the future were posed identically to all, while questions concerning the world of work were adapted and tailored to current activities: For example, students or pupils were asked about leadership questions concerning how they perceive the behavior of professors or teachers. However, regarding work, only the responses of employees were included in the following to avoid distortion in the results. Generation Z (n=1,000) was deliberately overrepresented in the sample to enable differentiated analyses; Generations Y/X/Boomer (n=2,000) were included according to their population shares in Switzerland (BFS 2023). Within the age groups, gender and language regions were also surveyed representatively according to BFS quotas. Recruitment was conducted online via Bilendi, allowing for self-selection.
The St.Gallen Youth Study 2025 aims to provide evidence through a thorough survey and corresponding analyses, thereby contributing to the promotion of young people and the collaborative shaping of the future of work and life environments.
For us, as an author team spanning three generations (X, Y, and Z), this is more than a research project – it is a personal matter.
Insights
St.Gallen Youth Study
Please complete the form and you will then receive an e-mail with a link to the study (German only).