AI, Gen Z, and a Stalled Identity Crisis: What Happens When We Never Get to Become?
Wrap your head around this headline:
“AI Is Quietly Shutting Gen Z Out of the Job Market.”
According to the latest from Prof G Markets, over one-third of U.S. managers say they’d prefer to hire AI over Gen Z candidates.
Yikes.
The job market is changing, yes — but something deeper is eroding, and we need to talk about it. Because what’s disappearing right now isn’t just employment. It’s identity-building. The chance to become who we are in our work.
This headline hit me hard because it’s not just about economics — it’s about identity formation. As someone who studies professional identity and career belonging, I’m deeply concerned about what this means for Gen Z. Not just their job prospects, but their development as professionals.
Let me explain.
Professional Identity Doesn't Magically Appear — It's Shaped in Motion
You don’t become a professional the moment you get hired. You become a professional through the work — in the messy internships, the coffee runs, the bad bosses, the great mentors, the stretch assignments, the team meetings, and the “I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m figuring it out” moments.
Your identity is shaped in motion.
But what happens when you never get to start?
This Isn't Just an Employment Crisis — It's a Stalled Identity Crisis
“Globally, 20% of Gen Z are out of both school and work.”
That’s not just a troubling statistic — that’s a warning sign. Entry-level jobs — the places where we learn who we are and what we’re capable of — are disappearing. In law, finance, tech, and beyond, junior roles are being automated, outsourced, or absorbed.
If we lose the onramps, how do people ever build momentum?
If there's no runway, how do we take off?
This is what I call a stalled identity crisis. Because when we can’t begin, we can’t become. And if Gen Z doesn’t get the chance to evolve into professionals, what does that mean for the future of the workforce?
Our Work Is Where We Begin to Belong
In my book More Than My Title, I write about how we all carry multiple professional identities — not just the role on our LinkedIn page, but the full spectrum of who we are and how we work. I call this being a hybrid professional — someone who lives at the intersection of multiple identities and skill sets.
But you can’t discover those intersections if you’re never given the space to experiment, grow, or stretch into them.
You can’t become a hybrid professional if you’re still stuck outside the system, trying to get a foot in the door.
So I’m Sitting With These Questions — And Maybe You Are Too:
What will it mean for the future of work if Gen Z never gets to become professionals in the first place?
How do we redefine “entry-level” work in an age where AI keeps climbing and access keeps shrinking?
What roles can we — as leaders, educators, managers, and mentors — play in redesigning the system so it invites Gen Z in, rather than keeps them out?
This isn’t just their problem. It’s ours.
And if we care about the future of work, we need to start by asking:
How do we build a workforce where everyone has a chance to begin finding WHO they are as a professional?
Dr. Sarabeth Berk Bickerton is the leading expert on hybrid professional identity and the founder of More Than My Title. Her work helps individuals and organizations reimagine career belonging by exploring who we are in our work — not just what we do.
Want to explore your hybrid identity? Start here with our freebies.