Gen Z makes up nearly half of Australia’s media workforce - and they’re pushing for change

Gen Z now makes up almost half of Australia’s media workforce, yet much of the industry conversation still frames early-career professionals through outdated stereotypes around resilience, loyalty and work ethic.

That disconnect sits at the heart of a new whitepaper from the Media Federation of Australia, positioning Gen Z insights as a guide to how leadership, feedback and workplace expectations are evolving.

Unveiled at an event in Sydney this week, the study combines data from the MFA’s NGEN Workplace Survey with perspectives from Gen Z professionals working across agencies and media owners.

“Too often, Gen Z is framed as less resilient, less loyal and harder to manage,” Melanie Aslanidis, head of NGEN and MFA Foundations, said.

“In reality, Gen Z is not a problem to solve, but an early signal of deeper changes already reshaping how work is learned, communicated and experienced.”

SEE MORE: Governance, data and training top MFA's 2026 agenda

Among the report’s more striking findings is a challenge to the widely held belief that younger workers prefer remote-first environments.

Nearly half (47%) of Gen Z respondents said they favour in-person conversations, while only 1.3% nominated project-management platforms as their preferred communication channel.

For a generation whose education and early careers were heavily disrupted by Covid, prolonged digital isolation appears less appealing than many leaders assume.

Cooper McCarthy, performance coordinator at WPP Media, said the experience of studying and graduating online had shaped how many Gen Z professionals think about workplace learning.

“We did university online. A lot of us did high school online. Learning for Gen Z isn’t a scheduled activity - it’s part of doing the job,” he said.

“We actually prefer to be on the job and on the tools. That trend is rising.”

McCarthy described delayed feedback cycles as a major source of anxiety early in his career.

“Waiting six months to find out whether you’re on the right path builds uncertainty,” he said.

“Real-time feedback, even if it's positive or negative, gives clear direction and builds confidence.”

Drawing a parallel with aviation, he added: “Much like a pilot, there’s only so much you can learn in a simulator or through AI tools. You need to get your hands dirty.”

Nicole Doherty, account executive at This Is Flow, said Gen Z’s communication preferences are frequently mischaracterised as an obsession with digital tools.

“Communication isn’t just about information, it’s about certainty,” she said. “That challenges the assumption we only want to communicate digitally.”

Doherty noted that jargon-heavy meetings and acronym-laden conversations often leave early-career staff unsure of how to contribute.

“When communication relies on inference and unspoken norms, Gen Z doesn’t disengage because they don’t care,” she said.

“They disengage because they don’t feel certain enough to contribute.”

Her advice to leaders was pragmatic: decode jargon in real time, be explicit about expectations and close feedback loops quickly.

“Silence can easily be interpreted as negative feedback,” she said.

Culture measured by actions, not slogans

For Nason Pybus, client partner at News Corp, Gen Z’s approach to culture is less ideological and more observational.

“Culture shows up in small, everyday interactions. It’s not engineered or written into policy,” he said.

Survey data supports that view. Some 82% Gen Z respondents said working hard is defined by efficiency and meeting deadlines, while only 6% equated long hours with performance.

“We’re pushing back on long-hours culture, but it’s not about lacking motivation,” Pybus said. “It’s about prioritising effectiveness over optics and sustainability over burnout.”

Careers without the ladder mentality

For Clare Cannons, media implementation manager at PHD Australia, Gen Z’s perceived reluctance to “climb the ladder” is often misunderstood.

“Gen Z are often inaccurately framed as less resilient, less reliable and harder to manage,” she said.

“It’s really about finding deeper fulfilment and purpose in work.”

Nearly half (49%) of respondents prioritised meaningful work, while 84% rated growth opportunities as critical.

“Nonlinear paths feel realistic, not risky,” Cannons said. “It’s about finding the career that fits rather than climbing for the sake of it.”

Across learning, communication, culture and careers, the whitepaper identifies a unifying theme: clarity.

Aslanidis said the erosion of informal workplace learning during remote-heavy years had amplified the need for explicit expectations.

“Clarity means being explicit about what good looks like, what matters now versus later, who owns what and how feedback is delivered,” she said. “Less guessing. Fewer mixed signals.”

While NGEN remains focused on early-career capability building, the whitepaper is positioned as a resource for senior leaders navigating workforce change.

“This is about recognising how the foundations of work have shifted and what effective leadership looks like now.”

The report anchors a broader MFA agenda for 2026, with workshops and events designed to help industry leaders rethink development models, feedback structures and team environments.

“Future skills don’t grow in isolation,” Aslanidis said. “They show up through people - through how they learn, communicate and build careers.”