Ladies and gentlemen, Gen Z have officially entered the building — the office building, that is! These independent and inquisitive digital natives are poised to challenge norms about how, where, and when we work.
Internships have long served as a critical tool for building a pipeline of future leaders, and right now, many Gen Z talent will be vying for internship opportunities with leading organizations to help kick-start their budding careers.
If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that great talent ain’t easy to come by – an issue that will likely persist in 2025 – so investing in interns is a smart way to develop and gain loyalty among these young employees and ensure the future success of your organization. But unless you’re mindfully and deliberately ensuring great experiences and first impressions for program participants, that investment will fall short.
Some businesses opt for a churn-out approach to their intern population – pulling them in, spitting them out, with limited support offered at each juncture – ultimately leading to intern burn-out. Not only is this harmful to the intern, but it’s disadvantageous to the employer, negating the intent of the program: to entice high-potential students to return and grow their careers with you.
This leads us to a question we often hear from clients:
Is it possible to run a cost-effective intern program that delivers a great experience AND return on investment?
Absolutely. The right support doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. It’s about allocating funds to the areas that are proven to enhance the intern transition and experience, ultimately increasing your program’s success rate. Knowing what those “right areas” are starts with truly understanding what interns want and accepting that these wants will change over time. GenZ have starkly different needs and expectations when it comes to their careers, so organizations will have to be agile and accommodating if they hope to attract young talent.
Not Another Intern Survey!
In 2022, we teamed up with Weichert Corporate Housing to conduct our first Interns & Mobility Survey. In the industry’s most comprehensive study on intern mobility, we uncovered incredible insight to help guide companies looking to establish (or improve upon) internship programs that are cost-effective, inclusive, and magnetic enough to woo top talent. The survey revealed that:
- 56% of participants expect intern volumes to increase
- 93% of respondents leverage their internships to develop a pool of critically skilled candidates; however, nearly a third of organizations have difficulty transitioning interns to a permanent position upon program completion.
- More than half of participants cite housing supply as their top administrative challenge
A year later, we reexamined those trends, and our 2023 Intern & Mobility Survey emphasized that internships play an even more vital role in the talent strategy of companies across the spectrum of size, geography, and industry. Most notably…
- Programs and support for interns are increasing.
- 97% of respondents use internships, with 69% offering mobility benefits (up from 58% in 2022)
- But housing woes persist.
- Even more participants responded that housing supply and knowledge of house options remain their most significant hurdles in intern program management
- Tech tools will drive better experiences for interns.
- More than 70% of participants are looking to their relocation provider’s technology for accurate reporting, satisfaction metrics, and expense management – the kind of data they can use to measure the impact of their internship program and make changes the following year.
A lot has changed since our last intern deep-dive, and we’re eager to uncover if and how the recent shifts have impacted the delivery and strategy around today’s intern programs. We are thrilled to be teaming up with Weichert Corporate Housing for our third and most comprehensive intern survey, and for the first time, we’re expanding the scope of our study, taking a look at early career trends across the globe!
As companies endeavor to welcome the youngest demographic into the workforce, we’re witnessing a surge in Early Career programs designed to attract high-potential Gen Z talent. Typically aimed at recent college grads, emerging talent employees, or entry-level employees, these programs are designed to equip them with the critical skills needed to drive success in both their careers and the company. In this year’s intern survey, we’re excited to uncover more about how companies are using these new internship models to build their leadership pipeline and fuel their talent strategy.Gina Grover
If you’re a mobility professional, we want to hear from you! Join us in uncovering what Gen Z is looking for in an employer and how these programs are helping them hit the ground running. As a token of our appreciation for sharing your insight, all survey participants will get an exclusive first look at the survey results.
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