• Growth Tank founder David Willey.
    Growth Tank founder David Willey.
Close×

Youth marketing and recruiting experts shared some surprising insights on Gen Z workers at the NextGen Breakfast Forum this morning at AUSPACK 2019.

By 2025, Generation Z will comprise more than a quarter of the Australian workforce, and Growth Tank founder and a youth marketing expert David Willey shared his insights on how to connect with this important group.

Gen Z members prioritise positive workplace and culture higher than financial benefits, and place a higher importance on job security and fair pay than their millennial counterparts.

To make this group happy and productive, WIlley says, companies will need to be seen to be ethical, offer clear and structured career progression, and offer them personal (in addition to professional) development opportunities that help them grow as an individual.

They also value regular feedback, flexibility and work-life balance, he says. “Understanding that your employee’s life is more important than their work is key.” 

Presenter PWC Australia’s Justin Ling said the company uses more digital channels than ever to recruit and engage with its younger recruits.

He also noted that alternative pathways to employment are growing, and he predicted that school leaver recruitment will overtake graduate recruitment within five years.

Food & Drink Business

Sydney deep tech venture ALBON is pitching a low-energy, algae-based system to dairy, meat, rendering and other food processing operations facing rising water costs and tightening discharge rules. It has just been named as one of the Cicada x Tech23 2026 cohort.

Foundation FSSC has incorporated Save Food Packaging design requirements into Version 7 of its FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme, extending food loss and waste measures to organisations that design primary packaging and packaging materials.

Infant nutrition company, Bubs Australia Limited, has appointed Chris Rowe as its new chief financial officer. He takes over from Naomi Verloop, who has resigned after holding the role since 10 February 2025.