They’re a bunch of “sick” puppies.
Gen Z workers are far more likely to fake an illness to get out of work than their elders — even when they’re fine, a new report revealed.
Around 80 percent of those polled under the age of 29 admitted to calling out sick at least once during the past year — when they weren’t actually too under the weather to show up to the office.
Only about 40 percent of the 55-64 crowd, comprised of Gen Xers and younger Boomers, confessed to doing the same, according to research conducted by Merlin Strategy on behalf of Britain’s Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
The real reasons the junior job jilters decided to absent themselves included being tired (79 percent, compared to 40 percent of the olds), burned out (77 percent, compared to 45 percent), attending a job interview (over 50 percent), and even a nursing hangover (52 percent).
More than 2,000 9-to-5ers were asked if they’d flubbed the truth with employers — and more than four out of five Gen Z drones ‘fessed up.
And the younger their age, the less they cared about calling out — 39 percent of the under-25 crowd said they’d taken at least five sick days during the past year.
Only one in ten among the older cohort had done the same.
The astonishing numbers add to the pile of evidence that those just starting their careers aren’t prioritizing work the way previous generations did.
In July, another study showed that while actually at work, 66 percent of Gen Zers — whether employees or managers — admitted to “faking productivity.”
The findings by Software Finder, an expert discovery platform, showed that the slothful set were doing everything from pretend-typing on their keyboards to walking around the office with stacks of paperwork to perform being busy, The Post recently reported.
Meanwhile, new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the share of men 16 to 24 participating in the labor market took a dive to 56.1 percent — 13 points down from 69 percent in 2000.
Experts have been warning that the troubling trend could soon accelerate — as AI shakes up multiple sectors in the job market.
Maria Flynn, chief executive of nonprofit Jobs for the Future, previously told The Post that the hit on entry-level hiring in retail, factory and some white-collar sectors is to blame — and that young opt-outers risk being left behind entirely.
“The longer the individuals sits out of the labor market, particularly early in their career, the harder it’s going to be for them to build the skills and the network and the work experience that really shape earnings in future decades,” Flynn explained.
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