Gen Z Healthcare Workers Sought New Roles in 2025 Study
Managers must prioritize career advancement to retain younger staff who prioritize stability.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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A Harris Poll of 1,514 employees conducted between June 12 and July 1, 2025, revealed that 70% of Gen Z healthcare workers planned to seek new employment within one year. The findings highlight a critical disconnect in employee retention and professional development expectations.
Why it matters
Operators face significant turnover risks as only 26% of employees trust their current employers to support long-term growth. Addressing these advancement gaps is essential for mitigating persistent staffing shortages in the U.S. healthcare sector.
Among surveyed employees, 47% of employers identified a lack of advancement opportunities as the primary driver of turnover, while 89% of workers stated that such growth opportunities were important. These figures reflect a workforce pool of 1,514 employees and 304 employers.
The players
Strategic Education, Inc.
An education services company that commissioned the research on healthcare workforce trends.
Workforce Edge
A workforce development platform that co-sponsored the 2025 healthcare employment study.
The details
The survey data suggests that while 95% of younger staff prioritize job security, the current operational reality fails to map to their long-term career goals. Employers are struggling to demonstrate that they can facilitate professional growth, leaving a gap between worker needs and company retention strategies. AI is not yet viewed as an immediate disruptor, with 66% of staff feeling their roles are safe from displacement, though 72% of employees insist on maintaining human oversight for these tools.
Timeline
The survey was conducted from June 12 to July 1, 2025.
70% of Gen Z healthcare workers planned to seek a new role by next year.
Market Landscape
The findings follow a documented pattern of persistent labor volatility that continues to shape the U.S. healthcare staffing shortage. This data highlights that retention strategies centered on job security are being undermined by a failure to offer clear advancement pathways.
Operators should evaluate internal career progression metrics to see if their development programs match the 89% of workers who prioritize growth. Without a direct link between performance and career advancement, facility turnover will likely remain high as younger staff exit for better opportunities.
The takeaway
The data confirms that job security alone is insufficient to retain Gen Z healthcare employees who explicitly demand development. Managers should review their annual retention metrics to track how many staff members are offered clear internal promotion pathways.
Further reading
For additional context on hiring and labor management, see the Nursing Jobs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by FierceHealth.
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