LinkedIn Research: Gen Z Professionals Are Becoming Key Business Decision Makers Yet 72% Lack Confidence to Turn Contacts into Career Opportunities

New research from LinkedInopens in a new tab (conducted in July 2026 among 18,000+ professionals and 6,000+ marketers) finds that despite being constantly connected online, Gen Z feels disconnected from the people that could help them in their careers. At the same time, they’re becoming key decision-makers in the workforce, making it critical for brands to understand what earns their trust and attention.

• Gen Z is constantly connected online - but 72% feel disconnected from people that could help them in their careers
• A confidence gap driven by a fear of bothering people (37%), being judged (37%) and sounding inauthentic (34%) is costing them opportunities.
• At the same time, Nearly 9 in 10 (89%*) B2B marketers say future growth depends on influencing Gen Z and Millennial decision-makers
• Short-form immersive videos (49%) and content from expert voices (42%) are the top two ways to engage Gen Z buyers

Professional relationships matter more than ever, yet many Gen Z professionals lack the confidence to build them.

LinkedIn research reveals that 72% are staying on the sidelines of their professional community and it’s costing them valuable advice, introductions and opportunities. Fear is often the barrier:

• 37% worry about bothering people
• 37% fear being judged
• 34% worry about sounding inauthentic

And it’s showing up in how they build relationships: More than half (53%*) of Gen Z professionals aren’t sure how to get started and 52%* don’t know how to turn contacts into real connections.

At a time when AI is changing everything – from work, to how people search and apply for jobs – relationships can make all the difference. More than a quarter of Gen Z (27%) professionals say they found their next opportunity through professional communities online, and LinkedIn data shows U.S. job applicants with an inside connection were nearly 7x more likely to get hired than those without one. LinkedIn members are also almost 3x as likely to receive connection requests if they’ve interacted with their network’s posts.

Most Gen Z professionals are having to figure it out for themselves though. Nearly two thirds of Gen Z (64%) say no one has clearly shown them how to build professional relationships, leaving many unsure who to approach, when to reach out or how to start a conversation. Gen Z may also be underestimating just how willing people are to help. While many worry about getting in touch, the majority (83%) of Millennials and Gen X professionals say they would help someone at the start of their career, even if they didn’t know them.

• Find the right people to grow your network: The Grow tab in My Networkopens in a new tab offers personalized recommendations to help you discover relevant connections, while AI-powered people searchopens in a new tab lets members globally describe who they’re looking for in their own words to surface professionals with relevant experience, skills and insights, with searches currently supported in English.
  
  
• Follow before you connect: You don’t have to connect with people on LinkedIn to see and engage with their content, you can simply followopens in a new tab them. This takes the pressure off of asking for a connection request, but you still get the benefit of seeing and interacting with their content.
  
  
• Start – and maintain – conversations: The Catch Up tab in My Networkopens in a new tab highlights moments like new jobs and work anniversaries, giving you a natural reason to reach out or reconnect. LinkedIn Gamesopens in a new tab also offer a low-pressure way to break the ice, with a connections leaderboard that lets you compare scores with your network and turn friendly competition into conversation.
  
  

Turning connections into opportunity starts with trust. And as Gen Z looks to people, communities, and credible voices for guidance, this dynamic has reshaped how brands build trust as well.

Nearly nine in ten marketers (89%*) say future growth depends on influencing younger decision-makers, including Gen Z and Millennials. And 42% say content from expert voices (employees, creators, or industry experts) is the most effective way to do it.

This requires brands to build credibility in new ways – through experts sharing what they’ve learned, creators offering practical advice, or business leaders joining a conversation with their customer base.

LinkedIn’s research found:

• 86% of U.S. marketers say Gen Z and Millennial buyers trust peer recommendations and expert voices more than branded marketing.
  
  
• Marketers believe Gen Z buyers are most likely to engage with short-form and immersive videos (49%), as well as content from expert voices (42%)
• Nearly three-quarters (73%*) agree that brand credibility is becoming more important than brand visibility, while 78%* say brands must show up in trusted professional networks to earn it.
  
  

Findings also suggest the people Gen Z trusts for career advice often play a role in how they evaluate brands – the majority of marketers (84%) believe Gen Z buyers are more likely to consider a brand that is validated by someone in their professional community.

• Find the right creators for your brand: LinkedIn’s Creator Marketplaceopens in a new tab helps brands find relevant creators, discover authentic content, and gain visibility with Thought Leader Ads.
  
  
• Amplify expert voices: Thought Leader Adsopens in a new tab help brands promote content from executives, employees, creators, or industry experts to build credibility and reach more of the right people.
  
  

• How do Gen Z professionals feel about professional networking? LinkedIn research shows Gen Z faces a confidence and know-how gap when it comes to building professional relationships, with more than half (53%*) unsure how to get started and 52%* don’t know how to turn contacts into meaningful connections.
  
  
• Why don’t Gen Z professionals reach out to their network? LinkedIn research shows a confidence gap is holding Gen Z back from building professional relationships, with many worried about bothering people (37%), being judged (37%) or sounding inauthentic (34%).
  
  
• How can Gen Z start building professional relationships? Gen Z can start building professional relationships through small, low-pressure actions on LinkedIn. Use AI-powered people search to find professionals in industries you’d like to learn more about, follow people whose careers interest you, or start with a like or comment. These small interactions can help build confidence and grow your network over time.
  
  
• What role do professional relationships play when starting a job search? Professional relationships can create real work opportunities: LinkedIn research shows that 27% of Gen Z say they have found their next opportunity through their professional communities online, and LinkedIn data also shows US job applicants with an inside connection were nearly 7x more likely to get hired than those without one.
  
  
• Why do marketers care about reaching Gen Z professionals? As Gen Z buyers increasingly shape business decisions, they’re becoming one of the most important audiences for marketers to reach. LinkedIn data shows 89%* believe their company’s future growth depends on the ability to influence them.
  
  
• How can brands engage Gen Z buyers? LinkedIn research suggests Gen Z buyers respond to a combination of engaging content and trusted expertise – with 49% of marketers saying short-form and immersive video is the most effective way to reach them, and 42% pointing to content from expert voices.
  
  

• Dan Shapero, CEO
• Jessica Jensen, CMO
• Catherine Fisher, VP Communications & LinkedIn Career Expert

Professionals: This research was conducted by Censuswide in July 2026 among 18,050 respondents who work full time and part time (aged 18-80)* between July 20 and August 11, 2026. Markets included the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, India, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, UAE and KSA. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society and the British Polling Council, and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge.

Marketers: The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 6196 Marketers (Junior manager+) who are involved in B2B marketing across the UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia, USA, Netherlands, India, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, and Brazil. The data was collected between 21.07.2026 - 06.08.2026.

Quotas: Generation - minimum quota of 150 respondents per market aged 18 to 29.

Job level x DM - minimum quota of 200 respondents per market that selected ’Director’, ’Vice President (VP)’, OR C-Level Executive’ in and ’I help reach the final decision as part of a group/committee’, ’I make the final decision with input from staff/management’ or ’I am the sole decision maker’

Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

*Combining ’strongly agree’ and ’somewhat agree’ responses.

LinkedIn data, Network Lift: Analysis is based on a random sample of 5 million LinkedIn members across the U.S., Singapore, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, and India. Findings reflect job applications submitted between July 2019 and December 2025 and are aggregated across the full study period. For each job application, we look at the applicant’s first-degree LinkedIn connections at the time they applied. If at least one of those connections was already employed at the company the member is applying to, that application has an inside connection. Having an inside connection does not necessarily mean that the applicant actually used the connection or was referred.