Three in four Gen Z professionals put work-life balance ahead of leadership titles: Emeritus report

Bengaluru: Nearly three in four Gen Z professionals in India prioritise work-life balance over formal leadership titles, even as they confront the pressure to constantly acquire new skills in an artificial intelligence (AI)-led job market, according to a report by edtech firm Emeritus.

The report, based on a survey of 1,010 respondents aged 15-28 across major Indian metros, found that 74% prioritise work-life balance over formal leadership titles. About 65% agreed that a successful career does not require becoming an executive leader.

The findings of the study, titled ‘India’s GenZ Outlook 2026: Recalculating education, ambition, and success; The No Cap Generation’, underline a shift in how young professionals view success. While 60% said they felt burned out by the pressure to continuously upskill, 75% said learning the right skills would keep them competitive. About 82% said they use AI or generative AI tools at least weekly to learn or build new skills.


Further, about 65% of early-career respondents said a degree by itself was no longer enough to succeed in the job market. Nearly 79% said they wanted their careers to contribute positively to the environment, indicating that purpose is becoming as important as pay for the majority of the generation.

The study also pointed to a weakening appetite for the traditional study-abroad route.

Among respondents who would consider studying overseas, 48% said their interest had declined over the past year, citing costs, visa requirements and uncertainty over post-study work regimes. The United States has seen the sharpest decline in interest, according to the report.

At the same time, internationally ranked universities offering programmes in India are gaining traction. About 87% of pre-college respondents and 92% of those transitioning to higher education said they would be likely or extremely likely to pursue a programme offered by an internationally ranked university in India. Among transitioning students, 69% said they would actively prefer an India-based international programme over going abroad to avoid visa uncertainty.

Interest in hybrid models, combining India-based study with partial home-campus exposure or a semester exchange, increased from 27% among pre-college students to 39% among transitioning students.

“It took 30 years to build a predictable outward migration path. The reversal is happening much faster. Policies are moving, universities are arriving, families are taking note - and brain drain is turning,’’ said Ashwin Damera, co-founder and CEO, Emeritus.