Millennials followed a familiar formula: earn a degree, take internships and work long hours in pursuit of career progress and financial security. But many now feel that effort has not delivered the promised stability, as high living costs and a difficult job market make it harder to plan for the future.
The article cites Kiel Institute for the World Economy figures suggesting Millennials need around 14 years to save the equity required to buy a home, compared with seven years for Baby Boomers. Deloitte research also found that almost half of Millennials felt financially insecure in 2025, while more than half were postponing major life decisions such as marriage or starting a family for financial reasons.
An expert interviewed in the article describes this as a career crisis rooted in a broken expectation: that loyalty, learning and hard work would lead to advancement, a comfortable home and security in later life. Millennials have often responded by changing jobs, becoming self-employed, working part-time or moving abroad.
Those who have become managers face a different kind of pressure. Having experienced Boomer-era hierarchies and office cultures, many want to lead with empathy, foster psychological safety and use digital approaches. Yet they are caught between demands for results from senior leaders and younger employees’ calls for clearer boundaries and more meaningful work. The expert argues that online portrayals of Millennial managers often mock the symptoms without considering the pressures behind them.
That pressure has built amid repeated disruptions, including the financial crisis, the pandemic, war in Europe, rapid inflation and the arrival of AI, which is challenging expertise workers have spent years developing. The expert also points to research indicating that students’ sense of pressure to meet others’ expectations for perfection and performance rose by a third over a period of nearly 30 years—an increase that coincided with Millennials’ university years.
The advice offered is to broaden the definition of success. Rather than treating a career as a ladder of titles and promotions, the expert suggests viewing it as a mix of skills, relationships, health and time. Another recommendation is to test possible life and career paths through small experiments instead of waiting for a perfect plan.
The interview distinguishes Millennials from Gen Z by how each responds to dissatisfaction. Millennials have tended to challenge the system while trying to succeed within it, often through individual choices such as a job change or further training. Gen Z is more likely to question the system publicly, set boundaries and challenge assumptions about education, employment and upward career progression.
The expert says Gen Z is already facing several overlapping challenges, including the cost of living, fewer entry-level white-collar opportunities as AI takes on some tasks, doubts about whether education guarantees a secure job, and concerns about mental health. The interview also argues that social media connects young people across countries while potentially contributing to a growing sense of isolation.
The article concludes with a call for policy that gives younger people better prospects. It cites figures showing that around 97,000 more Germans left the country than moved there in 2025, compared with 81,000 in 2024. According to the interview, many of those leaving are university graduates, with career opportunities and lifestyle among their main motivations. The expert rejects the label of a “lazy” younger generation, arguing that people are negotiating more carefully over working hours, purpose and health when effort no longer reliably leads to security or home ownership.
Sources: Handelsblatt.