WHAT THE DATA SAY: 82% of managers say Gen Z lacks necessary job skills

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

GEN Z NEEDS A MENTOR

Amid job uncertainty and lack of confidence navigating the market, Gen Z needs a mentor, according to our Harris Poll report with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

• 82% of managers say Gen Z lacks the necessary skills in the workplace.
• 41% of Gen Z feel highly confident navigating today’s job market.
• 74% lack access to mentorship.
• Mentorship benefits: opening doors to possibilities they never would have seen on their own (84%), bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world success (83%), feeling more confident about decision making (81%) and having conversations with an adult outside of their family (65%).

VISUALS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Visual communication is a critical tool to drive business results, according to our Harris Poll research with Canva.

• 91% believe visuals communicate better than text.
• 88% of leaders say visual fluency is a must-have skill for leadership positions.
• Only 22% of organizations consider themselves design-led, and 32% say they are visually forward.
• 63% of leaders say encouraging experimentation with AI would improve visual fluency across their organization.

CURIOUS BUT CAUTIOUS ABOUT AI

Americans are intrigued by AI yet not fully convinced, based on our latest Harris Poll Quest data.

• Adoption is growing: 8% use AI several times a day, 15% daily and 22% weekly.
• Trust gap: 40% distrust AI for personal advice, and only 14% say they would “definitely” use AI to help manage money.
• Workplace gains: 42% say AI helps them be more productive, especially for research (40%) and writing tasks (28%).
• Consumers are using AI for price comparisons (39%) and product search (39%).

THE RISE OF FINTECH

Americans who are watching their money more closely increasingly are leaning on fintech apps and tools, according to the 2025 U.S. Fintech Effect Report by the Harris Poll and Plaid.

• 81% of consumers are actively looking for financial education.
• 61% say economic worries make them more reliant on digital financial tools.
• 77% insist their bank be able to connect to their apps of choice.
• 66% would consider switch banks if connectivity weren’t possible.

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