Filipino Generation Z workers are reporting lower levels of workplace satisfaction than older generations, reflecting the higher value they place on company purpose and mental well-being, according to a labor academic.

Gen Z employees were the least satisfied age group, with nearly four in ten saying they frequently dread going to work, the Workplace Happiness Index: Philippines 2025 released by Jobstreet by SEEK found. The findings come at a time when Gen Z constitutes a growing share of the Philippine workforce, a demographic shift that makes these attitudes increasingly consequential for employers in sectors ranging from business process outsourcing to retail and technology services.

Benjamin B. Velasco, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Labor and Industrial Relations, said the findings align with broader shifts in worker attitudes and motivations.

"The job satisfaction survey correlates with anecdotal evidence I heard that younger workers have different work motivations," Mr. Velasco told BusinessWorld via chat.

"This may also be reflected in the higher weight given by younger workers to mental health and wellness," he added.

The survey found that 76% of Filipino workers aged 18 to 29 described themselves as happy at work, compared with 77% of millennials and 78% of Generation X employees. Among Gen Z respondents, 39% said they often dread going to work, indicating higher levels of stress and emotional exhaustion than their older colleagues.

"We should not be surprised," Mr. Velasco said. "Socio-cultural shifts may lead to intergenerational differences about workplace satisfaction and employee engagement."

He noted that the drivers of contentment vary significantly by age bracket.

"Job satisfaction may spring from more material factors like wages and benefits or more intangible concerns like purpose and meaning of work," he said. "Older workers may place a premium on the former while younger employees on the latter."

Dannah Majarocon, managing director of Jobstreet by SEEK in the Philippines, emphasized that employers need to adapt to these varying expectations.

"Our findings show that workplace happiness means different things to different generations, but every employee wants to feel that their work has meaning and purpose," Ms. Majarocon said in a statement.

"We believe that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace happiness; that's why we encourage employers to build workplace strategies that reflect the diverse needs of employees," she added.

The report showed that for Gen Z, happiness is most strongly tied to purpose, with 76% expressing satisfaction with the meaning of their work. Millennials (aged 30 to 44) identified workplace relationships and company culture as their key drivers, while Gen X workers aged 45 to 59 placed a high premium on work-life balance.

Mr. Velasco said that while the reasons for unhappiness differ, a sense of dissatisfaction persists across groups.

"Either way, I think most workers harbor some discontent, whether it is low wages and precarious work, or lack of meaning in their jobs," he said, adding that surveys highlighting meager salaries and insecure employment reinforce this reality.

He observed that modern job dissatisfaction often surfaces in less traditional ways than in previous decades.

"Job dissatisfaction isn't reflected in visible protest or organizing, unlike a generation ago, and that is another sign of a temporal shift in worker attitudes and consciousness," Mr. Velasco said.

Rather than formal labor action, younger workers are channeling their discontent through job mobility. For Philippine employers already navigating elevated turnover rates, particularly in high-demand industries, this pattern of exit-over-voice among younger employees compounds recruitment and retention challenges.

"Instead, discontent may be observed as high attrition and turnover, which can be called weapons of weak and unorganized workers," he said.

Despite these generational tensions, the report found that 77% of Filipino workers overall remain happy, positioning the country among the happiest workforces in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the report concluded that workplace happiness is no longer monolithic and fluctuates based on evolving mental health expectations.

— Erika Mae P. Sinaking