Indeed – the UK and the world’s largest jobsite – can reveal that almost two-thirds (58%) of parents in the UK are unable to describe what their child does for a living.
According to a survey of 1,000 parents with children in full time employment, technology is the industry that most millennials currently work in, closely followed by IT. In addition, the research found that 15% of parents couldn’t even answer what industry their child works in, let alone the job itself. Yet it appears there is no stopping the growth in the technology sector. In fact, a recent report from Indeed further confirmed the growth of tech opportunities throughout the UK revealing that 7% of all jobs advertised are in the technology space.
With the technology industry constantly developing, today’s research reflects ongoing discussions that the tech space is still foreign to the older generation. Retail, education and healthcare were identified as the industries that most parents work in, with technology just scraping into the top 10 in seventh place.
When it comes to attempting to explain their kids’ jobs, parents who took part in Indeed’s survey were quoted saying: “I really cannot say!!!”, “wish I knew” and even “finding a round peg for a round hole and then making a square peg fit”.
As technology begins to play an even bigger role in young people’s lives with STEM subjects added to the school curriculum last year, it seems parents aren’t only struggling to understand their children’s jobs, but their homework too - 22 per cent of parents admit they are baffled by the STEM-focused curriculum.
Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA, Indeed comments:
“Nowadays, every company is becoming a tech company – it’s the reason British schools have rightly added STEM subjects to the curriculum. Saying that, the older generation don’t want to get left behind – it’s now possible to take coding and web development courses in most UK cities. Not only will parents have a chance to learn more skills that will likely come in handy when it comes to their own job development, but it’ll certainly help them in understanding their children's’ jobs. Our careers are such an important part of both our own and our children’s lives, so it would be a shame not be able to share experiences, both highs and lows, with those closest to us.”