The global study commissioned by Dell EMC has revealed that Filipino Gen Z-ers have the most confidence in their tech savviness among their peers in Southeast Asia (SEA) and globally.
The study, called “Gen Z: The Future Has Arrived”, was conducted in a handful of countries including the Philippines and focused on Generation Z (those born from 1996 and later) entering the workforce.
According to the research, Gen Z has a deep understanding of technology and its potential to change the way we work and live.
Additionally, Filipino Gen Z-ers were the most confident in their tech savviness at 68%, compared to the counterparts in SE Asia at 62% and global at 52%. On top of that, Filipino Gen Z-ers are optimistic they have the tech skills that their employers need.
“While digital transformation journey in the country is unique for every business, this survey shows that Filipino youth are ready to be part and shape of that journey. It’s a very encouraging development, but also creating challenges for these businesses as they have to find the right strategy and technology to invite the right talents while at the same time find common ground for multi-generation workers in the workplace,” said Ronnie Latinazo, country manager of Dell EMC Philippines.
The study polled 730 Filipino high school and college students as well as over 12,000 students across the globe as participants.
Through the study, three key findings had stood out, one being that Gen Z though living with a technology-first mentality are still very socially aware.
The Philippines’ first batch of Filipino students under the K-12 education system have recently graduated in 2018 and as such, there will be 1.25 million Grade 12 students who can choose to pursue tertiary education or now apply for work. According to the Department of Education (DepEd), a significant majority of these senior high graduates took the K-12 Academic Track, which means they have two years of specialized training on areas like Accountancy, Business and Management and IT.
The Gen Z research also revealed Philippines is one out of two countries that implemented technology as part of formal education, with 76% of Filipino students rated their education as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in preparing them for the workplace.
The study also found that Gen Z members still value the human element. Rather than being replaced by machines, an overwhelming 94% of Filipino respondents recognize that we are entering the age of human-machine partnerships.
Thirty-five percent Filipino youths believe that humans and machines will work as integrated teams, while 59% see machines as tools for humans to use as needed.
Lastly, the research study showed that despite Filipino Gen Z-ers being the region’s most confident respondents in their technology skills, they are also the most worried about their employability (96%). They are worried about their workforce readiness and potential generation rifts between co-workers.
At the same time and by contrast, senior professionals are concerned they are being outpaced and that a majority of leadership roles in the future will be filled by digital natives. With up to five generations now in the workplace, businesses must help workers find common ground while they push to create a digital-first culture.
With the information, the report said it’s safe to say that Gen Z — the up-and-coming workforce — can help organization create cross functional teams with complementary skillsets and knowledge to initiate a fresh approach to problem solving.
Reverse mentoring programs can also enhance technical competencies throughout an organization, with Gen Z paving the way to a technology-forward future.