By Catherine Kouassi, Digital Communications Project Officer

Generation Y's arrival on the job market will mean changes in HR management. The members of the new generation certainly have a different approach to work. But how can you grab their attention and retain their services with your firm?

Large-scale changes to the job market
As the baby boomers set off on retirement, 30% of all positions in Quebec will be vacant by 2030. Generation Y (18-to-35-year-olds) will continue to take the labour market by storm--and that means your insurance firm! But what makes this generation different from its predecessors?

Good things about Generation Y
- They bring a taste for innovation to your firm.
- They're results-oriented, they hate wasting time and they're highly productive!
- They assimilate and master new technologies quickly.

Get ready for change
Generation Y's arrival on the job market will mean changes in HR management. The members of the new generation certainly have a different approach to work. According to the Quebec Association of Junior Chambers of Commerce (RJCCQ), Gen Y'ers are:

• Challenged by a work environment in which learning and skills development are essential.
• Quick to change employers if they're not satisfied.
• Aware of their value on the job market thanks to their networks of contacts and new technologies.

5 tips when talking to Gen Y'ers
Patrick Bouchard, RCCAQ chair elect and president of Bouchard & Associés Solutions d'Assurances Inc., quickly grasped the benefits associated with this talented generation and even entered into a partnership with a Gen Y'er. He offers five tips on how to motivate younger brokers.

1. Trust them.
2. Give them interesting mandates to tackle.
3. Make sure they're always busy and have new challenges.
4. Prove to them that they're an important component in the workings of your firm.
5. Make sure they realize that your firm is constantly changing and that they will be involved in these changes.

What about you? What tricks have you come up with to attract the talents of Generation Y?

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