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Sophie Thompson
Jan 28, 2025
'High-stress, low reward': Why Gen-Zers are shunning middle management jobs
Euronews Europe / VideoElephant
A new TikTok trend has seen Gen Z claiming that they're 'micro-retiring' from their careers - but older generations are arguing that they're quite literally just taking a holiday.
According to videos posted on the platform, "micro-retiring" allows them to 'make the most of their youth' and focus on their mental health, and can last a month, up to a year.
One user put it simply, by explaining: "It's basically where, throughout your career, you time off instead of waiting [or] deferring [till] you're older to take all of your retirement."
It comes just months after Gary Neville claimed he takes "several mini retirements throughout the year", which in actual fact, was a rather unusual way of explaining he just goes on a few beach breaks with his family.
It's well-documented that Gen Z are more on top of prioritising their mental health, and these 'micro-retirements' allow them to travel, pick up passion projects, or try side hustles when work isn't getting in the way.
@anaisfelt If you can swing it, totally worth it imo. I should note I paid off my 70k in student debt and saved a sizeable chunk of $ before taking the leap. I also am childfree. I come from a low income background and am the first person in my family to go to college and do this….so it is possible with the rught strategy, grit and resilience.
♬ original sound - Anaïs
“I’ve never felt healthier. I’ve never felt more rested,” one micro-retiree, Anaïs Felt, a 31-year-old content creator said in a viral TikTok video. “It’s been amazing and I highly recommend it.”
Another woman opting for a micro-retirement, Brittany Foley, 26, explained that taking smaller career breaks earlier in your life is perfect when you don't have kids, as you can quite literally do what you want.
“With other people my age, there’s so much pressure to chase promotion cycles and raises, and everyone is so burnt out", she told The Cut.
“I wish becoming a server or doing another noncorporate job wasn’t frowned upon that way,” she said. “Working part-time to support yourself and pursue your other passions shouldn’t be a mark against you.”
However, not everyone is convinced by the new trend.
"Most of us are just getting by - quitting and taking that much time off is so impractical especially for the majority of people", one person pointed out under a video explaining the trend.
"In other countries they just take a holiday and have retirement too", another joked.
However, while Gen Z appear to be supportive of taking time off, others stated the obvious: "You're literally just going on holiday."
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