The new research reveals that 65% of generation Z is impatient of professional development and career growth, which questions stereotypes towards new labor members
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The latest Udemy research identifies the skills that Gen Z seeks to develop, how to integrate AI into the learning programs of this generation and where managers can support Rapid Upskilling
San Francisco, August 20, 2025– (Business thread) –Udemy (NASDAQ: UDMY), a first online skills market and a learning platform, has published a new research report today, Gen Z on the workplace: welcome the next generation. Recognizing the importance of generation Z (Gen Z) for the future workforce, the new research based on the responses of more than 6,500 multigenic learners calls into question many stereotypical perceptions of the Z generation (defined in the report as people born between 1997 and 2012). Often represented as “lazy” and “not interested in returning to the office”, the data of Udemy demystified these common tropes, revealing that the respondents of the Z generation are in fact the most motivated by professional development (65%) compared to their counterparts of generational and generation X. In addition, despite the request for generative content of artificial intelligence (Genai) which continues to cross the platform Udemy and Exceptionally high engagement of Gen Z With Genai, they are the most skeptical generation in the perception of the effectiveness of AI in online learning.
Gen Z is foreseen To represent 27% of the world workforce by 2025 and will become the largest generation of the workforce by 2035. Like many workers of the Z generation began their careers, understanding how to attract, engaging and preserving them is an essential commercial strategy to maintain vitality and organizational growth. Udemy's research provides valuable information on what generation Z is looking for employers, the skills they consider essential for career development and what motivates them to fill knowledge gaps.
“Generation Z is not the first generation to inaugurate the change for the workforce. From millennials to generation X, including baby boomers, each generation has created new opportunities for managers to reassess their approach to learning and development to engage workers in a continuous Upskilling,” said Greg Brown, president and chief executive officer. “This report offers a guide to managers to help manage Z upskill to the rate of change required by technologies such as generating AI, in turn defining new labor members to succeed while positioning organizations for long-term growth.”
Generation Z embraces learning focused on AI – but requires it to be done in a responsible manner
Most respondents of the Z generation (70%) Indicated that they will probably use an online learning platform that offers Personalized IA-based learning experience. Despite this interest in taking advantage of AI for learning, generation Z is also concerned about the precision of the AI (48%) and potential prejudices (38%) In Personalized learning experiences focused on AI.
Generation Z, generation Y and generation X are all hungry to learn how to effectively use Genai. Genai's courses on the Udemy platform have attracted more than four million registrations in the past year only, with eight new registrations occurring every minute. While exploiting the power of AI uses workers in generation Z, managers must assess how and where to deploy AI to ensure that it improves the experience of learners of generation Z and does not compromise the process through or inaccuracy.
The career trajectory of generation Z depends
While generation Z sees the value of the construction of programs (36%) and artificial intelligence skills (30%) To better prepare for work, they are also eager to develop skills such as communication (30%) and critical thinking / problem solving (26%).
Most respondents of the Z generation (84%) Consider general skills essential to professional success. As general skills become increasingly crucial in the labor market, managers can use tools like Udemy Smart skills platform To identify the gaps of general skills of Gen Z and develop their skills. In turn, other generations can learn from generation Z how to effectively use general skills in the workplace for career improvement which also contributes to business success.
While Gen Z has knowledge, HR and L & D leaders must take up the challenge
Almost all respondents of the Gen Z investigation (94%) devote at least one hour per week to learning. The main privileged learning method of generation Z consists of full online courses (44%), Monitoring of real world projects (12%).
The preference of generation Z for sustained and situational learning methods contradicts stereotypes suggesting their main method of Information absorption is in short video extracts via social media. As hand demography Cohort -based learning To fill generational learning and communication preferences.
To dive deeper into what Gen Z is looking to learn at work, download Gen Z on the workplace: welcome the next generation. To access courses designed to develop the most requested skills in Gen Z, visit Udemy.com/personal-plan. To find out how organizations can associate with Udemy Business to develop the skills of the next generation on the job market, visit Business.udemy.com.
About Udemy
Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY) transforms lives by learning by ensuring that everyone has access to the most recent and most relevant skills. Through Udemy Smart skills platform and a global community of various and competent instructors, millions of learners acquire expertise in a wide range of technical and professional skills – AI Generative has direction. The Udemy market offers learners thousands of up to date in dozens of languages, offering a variety of solutions to achieve their objectives. Udemy Business authorizes companies to offer learning on demand for all employees, immersive learning for technological teams via Udemy Business Pro and cohort learning for leaders through Udemy Business Leadership Academy. Udemy commercial customers include FenderⓇGlassdoor, On24, The World Bank and Volkswagen. Udemy has its headquarters in San Francisco with Hubs in Austin and Denver, United States; Ankara and Istanbul, Türkiye; Dublin, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; and Chennai, Gurugram and Mumbai, India.
Methodology
This report is based on the information of a quantitative survey conducted by the Udemy market study team between April 1 and May 7, 2025. The survey collected responses from 6,677 world learners covering several generations, including generation Z, generation Y and generation X. Participants were drawn from ten countries – Australia, Brazil, India, India, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico South Korea, United Kingdom, United States. The respondents came from both external panels and the Udemy's own user base, allowing a complete comparison of information through demography.
