Generation Y in Poznan

Generation-Y are the generation of young people aged 20 to 30, who have been raised in the world of new technologies and who generally would not recognize a world without computers, smartphones and the Internet. Generally speaking, generation-Y possess a stronger “work to live” attitude than their predecessors. For example, generation-X (people aged 30-45) are often described as people who possess a strong “live to work” ethic and the “baby boomers” (people aged 45-65) are often referred to as the “work to survive” generation.  More recently, we have also seen the emergence of a new generation, generation-Z, people aged under 20 many of whom won’t remember a life without computers.

Generation-Y are strongly oriented towards technology innovation, as they are the first generation that was raised in a digital world. Many authors have suggested this has generally resulted in them being more rational that previous generations; with stronger multi-tasking abilities; strong ambitions to work for a “greater good”; a high focus on personal self-development; and a communication style which is heavily reliant on digital technologies.

According to a study by the Canadian author Don Tapscott, generation-Y differs particularly from previous generations because of the freedom they want to exercise in being able to  choose the job they want, what they do with their work time, the technology platforms they use, the place for shopping, and the freedom they want to set up their own businesses.

What’s more, generation-Y is the “generation of relationships” characterized by a strong willingness for cooperation and careful observation of their employers. But generation-Y is also incapable of separating work from play - they do not feel it inappropriate to use Facebook during their work time, they aspire to work in attractive and modern office environments, equipped with gaming machines, playing fields, gyms, and expect their employer to promote them quickly.

Research carried out in Poland by Deloitte,­ “The first steps on the labor market. Polish research over students and graduates 2013”, suggests that 90% of students already have some work experience, whether coming from work or from an internship, whilst 40% of the respondents were in an internship during the period of the research. The results from this research present the generation-Y as optimists, with 73% of respondents assessing their value as high; 63% believing their competences are higher than those of others; whilst half of them are optimistic about finding an interesting job within a year. When considering the education process in Poland almost 70% of the respondents remarked that employers were searching for graduates during their studies; and 62% were satisfied with their diplomas, assessing their value positively. Conversely, 61% of students suggested that the manner in which they were prepared by the universities to look for a job could be improved and 50% suggested they felt they needed more information about the potential occupations that were open to them.

Moreover, 86% of students stated they are willing to work for free. For many of them, their job should enable them to develop  themselves and provide them with an opportunity for a career, promotion and wealth.

The University of Economics in Poznań carried out a pilot study among Poznań students, companies and start-ups, on the basis of which it concluded that generation-Y are highly courageous, open, entrepreneurial, not afraid of risking their savings and investing them in their own companies. They identified students were extremely keen to acquire practical knowledge, with many placing a stronger emphasis on this than academic studies. In addition, they found many in Generation-Y were more interested in working in diverse roles, in open, networked organizations which utilized social media for business benefit, more than they were interested in working in corporations. They found generation-Y were generally “open people, determined, focused on new experiences, requiring much from themselves”, who are inspired by new technologies and by market leaders.

The research allowed the University to differentiate between three types of generation-Y. The first one is described as a  ‘young professional’, characterized with high qualifications, who has experienced the reality of employment, and thus takes the risk more willingly. Another type is a person with minor professional experience acquired during the last years of their studies. The last type are persons at the beginning of their studies, who are generally not interested in running their own business enterprise.

Furthermore, the study results showed generation-Y’s perceptions of Poznań differed slightly. On one hand, young people believe that Poznań is a friendly city for young entrepreneurs. These respondents cited the support from various organizations, including: Poznań City Hall, Collegium Da Vinci, Concordia Design, PPTP, YouNick Nickel Technology Park Poznań, UAM Foundation, SpeedUp Group, Nobel Tower, Eureka Group, all of which help students to realize their aspirations through the delivery of a range of actions and initiatives. On the other hand, the respondents characterized Poznań as a city that does not develop, that is stagnant, not very dynamic or innovative.

Ideas put forward by respondents for improving the competitiveness of companies in Poznań. were, among other things, training courses and workshops for entrepreneurs, free tax and legal advice; events such as hackathons or start-up weekends; incubation support; business counselling; initiatives to help artists and designers to present their work to local markets; and entrepreneurs networks to exchange experiences, knowledge and develop particular industries in Poznań.

Respondents highlighted that the main problems in trying to develop a business in Poznań, as being the lack of a “central point” to provide people with the information they need about starting a business; and weak communication channels for reaching young people.

Furthermore, the students of non-business degree’s admitted that they did not have sufficient knowledge about entrepreneurship, filling in grant applications or running a business enterprise. The research also identified that the scope of training currently being provided in  Poznań lacked solutions for the young, many of whom lacked a basic knowledge in running a business.  Respondents suggested the forms of support that would be most useful for them would be training in running a business, advice on legal/tax issues, financial support and promotion within the local market. In addition to improved access to information about running a business, support from the city and other organizations is important for young people.

Participants discussions in workshops organized to identify possible solutions focused on how to improve conditions for young entrepreneurs from the generation-Y. These discussions suggest that there is sufficient support for aspiring young entrepreneurs in Poznań, but that ineffective communication with the target audience is actually the greatest issue. In addition, Poznań struggles with being less attractive to young people, in comparison to large cities like Wrocław, Warsaw or Berlin. In many people’s mind, the city of Poznań lacks a unique feature, which acts as a ‘glue’, attracting and retaining young people in the city.

Young people need to be involved in co-creating cities if they are to be attractive to them. Other cities have used research and meetings to connect various generations, experiences and points of view to co-create a shared vision for those cities. Young people see the need for wider cooperation between economic, technical, life sciences universities, in order to exchange experiences. Moreover, the activities can be concentrated on the development of soft spheres of the city functioning, i.e. development of culture, which would pose another element attracting and retaining young people.

The city of Poznań should take up certain actions aimed at the development of an image of a city that is friendly for young entrepreneurs. The new identity of the city should be constructed on the basis of the experience from other cities about what is attractive to young people that encourages them to stay and live in a city.