More than half of Gen Zs (55%) and millennials (52%) say they have delayed major life decisions, such as starting a family, furthering education, or launching a business, due to their financial situation.

According to the 2026 Deloitte Gen Z and Millennial Survey, cost of living is the top concern for Gen Zs and Millennials for the fifth consecutive year.

This surpasses other societal and workplace concerns.

“Financial strain has become a defining feature of how these generations work, live and plan for the future”,

The report revealed that nearly half of respondents report living paycheck to paycheck.

About 69% of Gen Z and 64% of millennials also said that the availability or affordability of housing has a direct impact on their career decisions and where they can work.

Meanwhile, despite this, the report pointed out that optimism persists, particularly among the Gen Zs. About 53% expect their personal financial situation to improve over the next year, compared with 45% of millennials.

 Consistent with last year’s findings, only 6% of Gen Zs and millennials say achieving a leadership position is their primary career goal. “The hesitation is driven by concerns about the tradeoffs being in a leadership role may present”, it added.

Among those who are not prioritising leadership roles, the most commonly cited barriers to leadership are stress and burnout (50% of Gen Zs and 49% of millennials), excessive responsibility (50% of Gen Zs and 48% of millennials), and concerns about work/life balance (41% of Gen Zs and 46% of millennials).

Yet many still want senior leadership roles in the future: Three-quarters of Gen Zs (76%) and two-thirds of millennials (67%) say they are interested in pursuing senior leadership roles at some point in their careers.

The Deloitte’s 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey reflects the responses of 14,384 Gen Zs (born between 1995 January and 2007 December*) and 8,211 millennials (born between 1983 January and 1994 December). In total, 22,595 respondents were surveyed from 44 countries across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

The survey was conducted using an online, self-complete-style interview between 24 November 2025 and 15 January 2026.