Strut the rut: Why Gen Z is embracing the boring job over the dream career

Not long ago, the ideal job was exciting. People chased fast-growing start-ups, high-profile roles and careers promising constant learning and reinvention. Being busy was a badge of honour.

Now, predictability is becoming more attractive. After years of high-pressure jobs, burnout, pandemic fallout, layoffs, economic uncertainty and the rise of AI, some professionals are choosing stable employers, manageable workloads and jobs that end with the workday.

It has led to renewed interest in the so-called boring job: work that is dependable, if less glamorous than the careers people once aspired to.

The numbers back this up, to some extent. Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, covering 23,000 respondents across 44 countries, shows shifting priorities. Only 6 per cent of Gen Z respondents named senior leadership as their primary career goal; learning, development and work-life balance ranked higher. Nearly half said they did not feel financially secure.

That does not mean they have stopped caring about work. Deloitte found 89 per cent of Gen Z still value purpose, though not always from the job. For many, earning money, maintaining work-life balance and learning skills provide the freedom to pursue meaning outside the office – redefining what a “good job” looks like.

Which 'boring' jobs are being revived?

Show caption: Electricians, plumbers and dental hygienists may not have gl…

No offence to the accountants in the room, but accounting is one of the careers attracting younger workers. The appeal seems straightforward: decent earning potential, steady demand, and the prospect of replacing an ageing workforce.

Trade jobs are getting attention too. Electricians, plumbers and dental hygienists may not have glamour, but they offer something increasingly valuable: a route into paid work without the dependence on a university degree or years of entry-level experience.

Alisha Ramos, a Dubai-based advertising executive, says AI is changing the job market and making it harder to predict which industries will grow or shrink. “At the same time, life is expensive. For us Gen Z, doing work you’re passionate about is great, but having a job that pays the bills is essential,” she tells The National.

KA Narayan, president of human resources at Raymond Limited, a prominent Indian industrial and engineering group, is cautious about calling it a rejection of ambition. He believes younger workers are still looking for purpose, learning and career progression. “I still think one of the main retention hooks continues to be career progression and challenge in the job which offers learning opportunities,” he says.

Jessica Morari, a Dubai-based life and career coach, sees it differently. She's wary of the word “boring” because what feels boring to one person may be exactly what another wants. “I don't think this shift is necessarily about people becoming less ambitious,” she says. “It is more about becoming clearer about the role work plays in their lives.”

For Ms Morari, success is not necessarily about job titles or seniority. It can also mean earning enough while having time and energy for life outside work.

When passion becomes work

For years, young people were encouraged to find a job they loved. But turning a passion into a livelihood can make it difficult to switch off.

Research has begun to complicate the idea of a career calling. A study published in the Journal of Career Assessment examined the relationship between career calling and workaholism among 235 participants. It found that seeing work as a meaningful, consuming passion can, in some circumstances, be linked to workaholic behaviour.

Show caption: For many Gen Zs, a good job means earning money, maintaining…

Nick Hatter, a London-based psychotherapist and life coach, sees this in his work. He points out that financial security is a fundamental human need and that high-risk startups and senior management positions can come with considerable stress and poor work-life balance.

“A ‘boring job’ might actually sound good if it provides stable income and regular hour, and gives you the opportunity for a life outside work,” he says.

Mr Hatter has also met financially successful clients who are, in his words, “spiritually poor”, people who have achieved material success but derive little meaning or fulfilment from what they do.

Work doesn't have to be your identity

Show caption: Some experts believe that most people are craving stability …

The alternative to a glamorous job is not necessarily an unfulfilling one.

Barbara Sher made a similar argument in Refuse to Choose, where she described the “Good Enough Job”: work that is not unpleasant, does not take up more than about 40 hours a week, pays well enough, and provides security. Its value is that it leaves you free to pursue the things you actually love, she writes.

David Blume, a London-based IT professional, agrees. “There's a strong case for choosing a stable, boring job. Work is something we do; it isn't who we are. Gen Z seems to be embracing career minimalism – using a job for stability while pursuing passions outside work,” he says.

“When you don't depend on your passion to pay the bills, it has a better chance of staying your passion."

Some experts believe that most people are craving stability right now, especially in their workplaces.

But Ms Morari is not sure “stability” is the right word. “What people are really looking for is control,” she says. “We cannot control the economy, technological progress, or whether our industry will look the same five years from now. What we can control is how we respond to change.”

That’s especially true in the age of AI. Deloitte’s research found that 74 per cent of Gen Z respondents expected generative AI to affect their work, while more than six in 10 Gen Z and millennial respondents were worried it could eliminate jobs.

The case for boring

There are practical advantages too. A stable job can be easier to build a life around. Predictable hours make it easier to see friends, care for children, exercise, travel or simply do nothing. A reliable salary makes it easier to plan for a home, savings or retirement.

Show caption: The move towards safer jobs is better understood as a genera…

The question is no longer necessarily, ‘Does my job fulfil me?’ It may be, ‘Does my job allow me to build the life I want?’

Mr Narayan does not regard the shift as a simple move towards safer, less demanding jobs. He describes the workplace as increasingly digital, disruptive and competitive, and says it is better understood as a generational shift shaped by social development, social media and rising aspirations.

Ms Morari sees a similar reassessment among professionals in the Middle East, where ambitious careers, international mobility and high-performance cultures remain prominent. She compares it to following a GPS programmed by somebody else.

“People are finally stopping to question whether that is still the destination they want to reach,” she says.