What Gen Z Actually Wants From Work in AdTech — And Why Most Employers Are Getting It Wrong

There's a version of this conversation that goes: Gen Z are entitled, disloyal, and impossible to retain.

That version is wrong and it's costing companies good hires.

After a year of placements across AdTech and performance media in Southeast Asia, here's what we're actually seeing: Gen Z isn't disloyal. They're rational. They've watched companies lay off their parents, automate their entry points, and promise equity in businesses that no longer exist. They've entered the workforce during what many economists are calling the most disruptive period for employment since the industrial revolution.

They're not difficult. They're calibrated.

And the employers winning their trust in 2026 are the ones who stopped selling excitement and started offering clarity.

The numbers tell a clearer story than the stereotypes

Nearly half of Gen Z workers globally (48%) say they don't feel financially secure up from just 30% the year before, according to Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z & Millennial Survey of 23,000+ respondents across 44 countries. More than half (56%) are living paycheck to paycheck.

That context reframes everything. When a Gen Z candidate tells you base salary matters more than OTE, they're not being short-sighted. They're being honest about their reality. A bonus structure that pays out in 18 months doesn't cover rent next month.

In our experience placing talent across Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, the candidates who accept quickly and stay longest are the ones who felt the offer was straightforward, fair, and stable not the ones who were dazzled by an exciting pitch.

The remote flexibility myth

Here's the stat that surprises most hiring managers we work with: only 23% of Gen Z employees say they actually want fully remote work, according to Gallup's 2024–2025 research across thousands of remote-capable workers.

What Gen Z wants is hybrid 65% prefer it, a higher share than any other generation. What they're rejecting is the five-day office mandate, not collaboration. There's a meaningful difference between "we want you in the office Monday to Friday" and "we trust you to do your best work and we'll build structure around that."

When we see Gen Z candidates walk away from offers in SEA, it's rarely about avoiding the office entirely. It's about being handed a rigid policy that treats flexibility as a privilege rather than a default. In Singapore specifically, 74% of Gen Z workers have already had an RTO mandate introduced in the past year (Deloitte SEA, 2024). Many report the benefits structure, face-to-face collaboration alongside real friction: commuting costs, added stress, and a sense that the trust runs one way.

The employers getting this right aren't offering fully remote work. They're offering a clear and consistent arrangement, whatever that looks like and they're sticking to it.

What they actually want (and what the data says)

Stable base salary over complex compensation structures. OTE, commission tiers and equity upside don't land with a generation that's financially stretched and has watched those promises fail to materialise for others. Clear, predictable income is a competitive advantage right now not a concession.

Access to AI tools and skill development. Nearly 6 in 10 Gen Z workers (59%) are actively looking for roles less exposed to automation, according to ManpowerGroup's 2025 Global Talent Barometer. They're aware of displacement risk and they're paying attention to which employers are investing in their relevance. Offering access to AI tools, certifications and upskilling isn't just a retention play it signals that you see a future for them in the role.

Hybrid arrangements with real flexibility. Not fully remote. Not fully in-office. A clear, fair arrangement that doesn't shift without notice.

Decent leave and work-life balance. Not complicated. Often overlooked as a differentiator when it absolutely still is.

Progression paths even when they're not chasing the top job. Only 6% of Gen Z say their primary career goal is to reach a leadership position (Deloitte, 2025). But that doesn't mean they don't want to grow. They want to know that there's somewhere to go, skills to build, and that their contribution will be recognised as they develop.

What this means if you're hiring in AdTech right now

The market is tighter and more cautious than it looks on the surface. Agency mergers, AI automation and reduced startup funding have created a talent pool that's more risk-averse than it was two years ago. Mid-tier roles are shrinking. Entry-level has been disrupted. And Gen Z candidates who make up an increasingly significant share of the performance media talent pool across SEA are making careful, deliberate choices about where they land.

In our process, most candidates are pre-sold well before the offer stage. They accept quickly when the role is clear, stable and honestly represented. The deals that fall apart aren't falling apart because we couldn't close talent. They fall apart when clients change the brief mid-search, shift requirements, or introduce uncertainty that wasn't there at the start.

The employers winning Gen Z trust in AdTech right now are not necessarily the most exciting or the highest-paying. They're the ones who are clear about the role, honest about the environment, and consistent in how they show up throughout the process.

That bar isn't high. But a surprising number of companies are still not clearing it.

A final thought

Gen Z didn't break the employment contract. They just stopped pretending the old one still held.

The employers building strong AdTech and performance media teams across SEA in 2026 aren't necessarily the loudest or the most well-funded. They're the ones who know what they're hiring for, communicate it clearly, and follow through.

That's not a high bar. But it matters more than most hiring managers realise.

We're putting the finishing touches on ugp's 2026 AdTech & Performance Media Talent Report a deeper look at role shifts, generational expectations and where talent is moving across SEA right now. If you'd like to be among the first to receive it, reach out below.

If you're sitting with any of these questions right now:

→ How can I streamline my processes and cost base across recruitment?
→ How can I motivate my current and future team in 2026?
→ How should my team be structured across markets and offshore hubs?

Talk to us.
chat@uncommonlygoodpeople.com

Data: Deloitte 2025