American hustle culture is dying. Millennials are willing to take a 20% pay cut for a better work-life balance.

• Ford published its 2024 trends survey after conducting 16,086 online interviews in 16 countries.
• It found that 60% of American millennials would take a 20% salary cut for better work-life balance.
• Baby Boomers were the least willing generation at 33%.

American millennials are over hustle culture.

Ford's 2024 trends survey, which conducted 16,086 online interviews in 16 countries, found that millennials in the United States were ready to step back from their desks.

About 60% of surveyed American millennials said they would take a 20% pay cut "to achieve a lifestyle that prioritizes my quality of life," which is 5% more than the global average.

US millennials were the most willing among their generational cohorts. Just 33% of Baby Boomers were willing to take that salary cut, while 43% of Gen X and 56% of Gen Z agreed.

American millennials also outpaced other countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, and Australia. The only countries with more millennials willing to take a near-quarter pay cut to prioritize their quality of life were Thailand at 70% and India at 69%.

Ford also asked respondents if they believed a job that increases personal stress isn't worth it. In the United States, a whopping 79% of Baby Boomers said it wasn't worth it, followed by 72% of Gen Xers and 63% of millennials.

Gen Z, who typically advocate for work-life balance, came in at 66%.

The survey's findings aren't all that surprising. In September 2023, King's College London published a study that found millennials care more about work-life balance than any other generation.

Karl Treacher, CEO of the Culture Institute of Australia, also shared his predictions about what work culture will look like by 2030. According to Treacher, there may be more flexibility for employees, which is good news for younger generations.

"Employees will have more control in 2030 in terms of their work arrangements and decision-making processes. Self-management and self-managed teams will be the norm, not the exception as they are today," he told CEO Magazine in March 2023.

He added that there will likely be more focus on mental health.

"I have no doubt that employee mental health will be a critical priority for all organizations by 2030," Treacher told BI in December 2023.

Treacher said he thinks the workplace will shift away from a reactive approach, including therapy, and instead focus on preventive measures like mindfulness training.