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Young workers may be the most tech savvy, but they’re turning towards an age-old method to shape their futures by looking to the stars for career advice.
Around 80% of all Gen Z and millennials believe in astrology. And a notable portion of that group is using it to make career decisions, according to a new report from EduBirdie, an academic and writing platform, based on survey results from 2,000 young Americans who embrace the concept or relate to it. About 63% of Gen Z and millennials who embrace or relate to horoscopes say that astrology has positively impacted their career, 72% use it to make important life decisions, and 18% lean on the practice to make career moves.
“All people need something to believe in, that's our human thing to do,” Ksenia Hubska, data lead at EduBirdie, tells Fortune. She says while past generations may have turned to their parents for advice, astrology is an attractive guide because of how personalized it can feel—a horoscope is based on the unique date, time, and place a person is born.
“Young people sometimes don't have anybody to talk to. It's often what happens to students, or when someone is starting their first job. It's our human nature to find evidence and external motivation. When we don't know something we read, believe, move on, and choose,” she says.
How young people have used astrology in their professional lives primarily falls into four camps. About 39% of young astrology lovers say it helped them recognize their strengths and weaknesses, 36% say it aided them in choosing a new career path, 15% say it assisted them in landing their dream jobs, and 13% say it pushed them to quit a bad job, according to the report.
The astrology obsession among young people may also be changing the way they work as well. For example, we’re currently experiencing Mercury in retrograde—when the planet appears to be moving backwards relative to Earth as it orbits the sun. In astrology, this is a period in which people are more likely to be impulsive, fatigued, and stressed. Around 62% of Gen Z and millennials who believe or relate to astrology adapt their work practices while Mercury is in retrograde, according to the report. During this time, 37% go out of their way to create a relaxing work environment, 24% set flexible schedules, 22% avoid major decision-making, 15% back up important documents, and 12% take days off.
Managers who aren’t inclined to believe astrology may find this mindset perplexing, but they still have a stake in this phenomenon. While horoscopes can be used to analyze oneself and future prospects, it’s also commonly used to draw conclusions about others. About 41% of Gen Z and millennial astrology believers check their potential colleagues’ or bosses’ zodiac signs before considering a job offer, according to the report. Hubska says that rather than dismissing the behavior as silly, bosses should just roll with it.
“Even if it might sound stupid, they should respect the people who work for them,” she says. “Who cares what they believe in. If you just respect them, they’ll be great performance workers.”
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
