Eight out of 10 Gen Z employees in the professional services sector are inclined to leave, even as their share in the workforce has doubled to 34% in 2026 from 17% in 2023, according to a report by Great Place to Work India.
The study covered over 130 companies and over 110,000 employees across consulting, GCCs, BPOs, accounting and auditing, travel management, legal services and architecture and design, among others.
The report noted that Gen Z cohort has the highest active job search intent and the lowest inclination to stay in the sector. The young employees also have the lowest tolerance among all cohorts for ambiguity over pay, recognition and promotion criteria. To overcome this issue, the employers are required to clear career paths and explain what employees need to do to progress, the report said.
“With 34% of the workforce now Gen Z, professional services leaders must redefine engagement and retention for their talent, aligning with the personalised expectations of the diverse workforce,” said Akshat Shah, managing director, Great Place to Work India.
The report said the issue is not necessarily that Gen Z wants something fundamentally different from other generations. Instead, the younger employees are more likely to act quickly when their expectations are not met. Their lower tolerance for unresolved fairness issues and limited patience for workplace conditions to improve are contributing to their higher job search intent.
The growing share of Gen Z also means that their exits can have a big impact on professional services firms, the report said. Their departure can result in high recruitment costs, the loss of institutional knowledge and continuity in client relationships.
The report’s broader findings showed that employee commitment is weakening even as workplace sentiment improves. Discretionary effort, which is employees’ willingness to go beyond what is required, fell to 79% in 2026 from 82% in 2025.
About 50% of employees in the professional services sector are actively looking for a job, while three in four employees who leave are expected to do so within 12 months, the report said. It also found that employees are more likely to stay when leaders demonstrate behaviours such as thanking, developing and recognising them.
Further, the report flagged pressure on managers as well. Managers and frontline supervisors showed a much higher intent to switch jobs with 86% saying they were actively looking for a new job compared with 53% of employees who do not manage teams.
AI is another concern for employees in the professional-services sector. Nearly six out of 10 companies are using AI meaningfully in their day-to-day operations, but only two out of 10 employees strongly agree that they have been sufficiently briefed on the risks and benefits of these tools, the report said.
Balbir Singh, CEO of Great Place to Work India said that as AI reshapes the way professional expertise is delivered, success will depend not only on adopting new tech, but on leading people through the transition with trust, clarity and the right capabilities.