Why endure until retirement age? ... The Gen Z-style retirement of "doing it as it comes"

6 Out of 10 Gen Z Want to Try "Micro-Retirement"
Top Reason Is "Domestic and International Travel" at 50%
Followed by Hobbies, Rest and Health Recovery, and Self-Development

"Feeling tired at work? Just quit and go on a trip"

The number of Generation Z (born from the mid-1990s to early 2000s) who take breaks by quitting or taking leave intermittently, moving away from the traditional concept of retirement, is increasing.

According to recruitment platform Catch on the 11th, Generation Z prefers "micro-retirement" (65%), which involves taking mid-career breaks through quitting or leave, over "traditional retirement" (35%), which postpones retirement to the final stage of life.

A survey conducted by Catch on 2,191 Generation Z job seekers found that 60% of respondents wanted to try micro-retirement. Thirty percent answered "not sure," and 10% said they did not want to try it.

The most common reason for wanting to try micro-retirement was "domestic and international travel" at 50%. This was followed by "hobbies (15%)" and "rest and health recovery (11%)." Other reasons included self-development (8%), career change (6%), new economic activities (5%), and time with family and friends (4%).

On the other hand, those who did not want to try micro-retirement cited "financial gaps (32%)" as the biggest reason. This was followed by concerns about career interruption (30%), career stagnation (17%), disruption of long-term plans (14%), and social perception burdens (5%).

When asked when they planned to try micro-retirement, respondents who were actually considering it answered "whenever necessary" the most at 25%. This was followed by "after 1 year" at 20%, "after 5 years" at 17%, and "after 3 years" at 15%. Other responses included "after 10 years" (10%), "after 2 years" (9%), and "after 7 years" (4%).

As a result of a survey conducted on 2,191 Generation Z job seekers, 60% of respondents said they want to attempt micro-retirement. Catch

The micro-retirement trend is interpreted as being influenced by Generation Z's different views on work compared to older generations. Instead of staying at one job for life, Generation Z tends to freely decide on job changes and resignations according to their own life and values. Guy Thornton, founder of the recruitment support service platform 'Practice Aptitude Test,' explained in a recent interview with a media outlet, "Young generations prioritize mental health, personal achievement, and meaningful experiences more than long careers and promotions."

Thornton also saw social networking services (SNS) as playing an important role in spreading this trend. He analyzed, "The desire not to miss special moments that come and go through SNS has grown stronger," adding, "There is a stronger movement to travel, enjoy hobbies, and focus on what they want to do while they are young and healthy."

Kim Jeong-hyun, head of Catch at Jinhaksa, said, "As lifelong employment disappears and job changes become common, micro-retirement with mid-career breaks is emerging as a new option for Generation Z," and analyzed, "This can be seen as a movement to proactively design the direction of life rather than waiting for the traditional retirement point."

However, there are also many concerns about this trend. Frequent resignations and leaves by Generation Z may cause disadvantages in the job market, and excessive spending on travel without sufficient financial planning could increase debt. There are also worries that repeated income gaps could disrupt preparations for old age.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.