Gen Z is ghosting the workplace.
Nearly 60% of Gen Z workers say their job is a “situationship” — a short-term setup they never planned to stick with, according to a new survey that found nearly half, 47%, plan to leave within a year — and nearly one in four are ready to quit without notice.
And many already have, with roughly 30 percent admitting to simply walking out without warning, two-week notice, or a goodbye email.
The average Gen Z job stint clocks in at just 1.8 years.
The findings by invoice-factoring service Gateway Commercial Finance come from a June 2025 survey of 1,008 employed Americans, evenly split between Gen Z workers and hiring managers.
“What we’re seeing with Gen Z is a fundamental shift in what younger workers view as non-negotiables: mental wellbeing, identity alignment and autonomy,” Christina Muller, a workplace mental health expert, told The Post. “Unlike previous generations, they’re not willing to stay in jobs that compromise those values even if it means instability.”
Some are skipping the 9-to-5 entirely in favor of freelance gigs and creative side hustles.
A separate survey from essay-writing service EduBirdie earlier this year found 26% of Gen Z workers are using online gambling for extra cash, while 14% are creating content on OnlyFans.
Others are cashing in on kink, with 18% selling feet pics, 16% working as “sugar babies” and 9% turning to stripping, according to the survey.
Researchers say the result is a generation of workers treating their careers like a transaction by chasing flexibility and short-term gains over job security and company perks.
Only one in four Gen Z workers say they feel invested in their current job long-term. Fewer than half, 46%, said they believe staying loyal to one employer is rewarded in today’s job market.
Kevin Leicht, a sociology professor at the University of Illinois, said Gen Z’s job detachment has been decades in the making.
“For years we’ve been told the stable career is a thing of the past,” he said. “The era of the 30-plus year career at the same company is over.”
Gen Z workers also often lack early job experience, distrust institutions and are more risk-averse, a combination that fuels quick exits and minimal patience, Leicht added. Job performance reviews typically start after 18 months. Many choose to leave before then.
That short cycle comes with real consequences. Gen Z job-hoppers are 65% more likely to report feeling burned out and report worse work-life balance and lower satisfaction than peers who stay put, according to the survey.
As a reaction, a quarter of hiring managers now see short stints on Gen Z resumes as a red flag, according to the survey. More than a third, 36%, have already passed on candidates because of job-hopping fears.
“Ghosting — once limited to dating apps — has entered the workplace,” Muller said. “But it’s not just flakiness. What we’re seeing is drawing boundaries and opting out of a system they feel doesn’t always prioritize their wellbeing.”
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