"Chaque génération va plus loin que la précédente parce qu'elle repose sur les épaules de cette dernière. Vous aurez des opportunités qui dépasseront tout ce que nous avons connu jusqu'à présent.
-Ronald Reagan
Generation Z, also known as the iGeneration, Post-Millennials, or the Homeland Generation, is entering the workforce. The most common demographic definition assigned to this group is those born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. As I think about the thousands of students that will start this week at their chosen college or university, contributing to the more than 150,000 enrolled college students in the Columbus Region, it’s easy to get excited about our future.
This generation, like those before it, has grown up with a defining technology (the internet) and world conflict (for some of them, the War in Afghanistan has been going on their entire lives). They’ve seen the creation of entirely new industries, like social media, and they have been witness to the biggest economic shock since the Great Depression – the recession and housing crisis of 2008-2009. Their perspectives are different than those who came before them, and their numbers are larger than the baby boomers or the millennials. They will sell and purchase goods and services differently, and they have seen evidence of social advancement, like the election of the first African American president of the United States. They have also been reminded of the social and geopolitical struggles that we’ve not yet resolved, including events of Charlottesville, Russia and North Korea.
With a population of approximately 75 million, Generation Z offers an ample workforce for our industries, and more importantly, will continue to provide a massive consumer marketplace for goods and services that will generate new businesses, attract foreign companies, and catalyze technology to solve problems. This is a blessing to the United States for the foreseeable future. As markets around the world stagnate because of demographics, the U.S. will thrive.
En regardant ces élèves arriver, imaginez ce qu'ils vont construire et créer. Imaginez les défis et les conflits auxquels ils seront confrontés. Ne nous préparons pas seulement à leur vendre, mais aussi à les servir et à les soutenir pour qu'ils fassent mieux que nous tous !
-Kenny McDonald
Mise à jour sur One Columbus
- Congratulations to 36 fast-growing companies in the Columbus Region who made the Inc. 5000!
- Cette semaine, l'équipe de One Columbus accueille des entreprises nationales et internationales qui envisagent de s'implanter dans la région de Columbus.
- On Wednesday, we look forward to seeing One Columbus investors at the One Columbus Investor Update and Summer Social.
- A fantastic lineup of speakers will be at the Retail Summit this Thursday, sharing about the energy and diversity of the Region’s retail industry. RSVP today! Contact Jess Laughlin at jesslaughlin@columbus.org.