Workers in the U.S. broadly resist pay cuts even for improved work conditions, but generational divides emerge when weighing salary against career growth opportunities, according to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence survey.
Just under 30% of all employees said they would accept lower compensation in exchange for increased upward mobility. However, among Gen Z workers (born 1997-2010), nearly half would sacrifice pay for better advancement prospects.
The willingness to trade salary for career growth declines with age. About 35% of millennials (born 1981-1996) and 31% of Gen Xers (born 1965-1980) would consider a pay cut for upward mobility, while only 16% of baby boomers (born before 1965) would make this trade-off.
The survey found that workplace flexibility presents a less convincing case for pay reduction than career advancement. Overall, just 32% of employees would accept lower compensation for more flexibility in where they work.
Younger workers show more openness to this arrangement, with 38% of both Gen Z and millennial employees willing to consider location flexibility worth a pay cut.
The findings come amid persistent economic uncertainty, suggesting that while workers value aspects of their job beyond compensation, financial stability remains a priority for most American employees.
