Train operator Southeastern is increasingly finding that young people are looking for secure, long-term careers that match their hobbies.

A new survey commissioned by Southeastern reveals the top priorities for Gen Z are climate change, travel, and jobs where they are not sitting at a desk all day.

It shows there are surprising similarities between their job aspirations, goals, and hobbies and why they are ideally suited to a career on the railway.

Gen Z no longer thinks it is normal to constantly change jobs and work at places that don’t fulfil their ethics and career goals. They are looking for steady, rewarding jobs that match their principles, with the most showing:

• 73% wanted a good work-life balance.
• 47% don’t want a desk-based job.
• 47% want a good work culture.
• 44% want good career development prospects.
• 34% want to work in a company with strong mental health support/resources.
• 26% want strong diversity & inclusion processes.
• 25% prioritise sustainability.
• 55% research an employer’s environmental impact and policies before they accept a job offer.

Survey results for Gen Z’s favourite hobbies showed that:

• 51% chose social media.
• 49% chose travel.
• 41% chose seeing and making new friends.
• 25% chose gaming.

Translating hobbies to careers, quick thinkers who love gaming are ideally suited to working as signallers or Control Room operators who monitor train movements on computer systems, operate controls in an electronic control centre, and frequently communicate with drivers.

People with good computer and problem-solving skills are ideally suited for a role in engineering, working on a range of roles from servicing trains, to materials and planning, or technical and quality.

Last year. Southeastern announced it was seeking to recruit 400 apprentices and 600 other colleagues.