From talent retention and healthy company culture to employee satisfaction, productivity, and early-career development, today’s employers are navigating a transformed workplace. As hybrid and remote work models become the standard, companies are also rethinking how they deliver internships and career-building experiences to the next generation of workers. Leaders continue to face the ongoing challenge of keeping employees—and especially interns—engaged, motivated, and supported in increasingly flexible and decentralized environments.

At an even deeper look, companies have had to get creative in the ways they provide work experience and professional development opportunities for their interns, which are part of Generation Z (Gen Z) – the youngest and largest age group in American history. To satisfy the hunger for knowledge of a population that grew up on the internet and YouTube, an online video-sharing platform that offers instructional videos for practically every subject imaginable, organizations will need to discover dynamic solutions that capture attention and keep their learners engaged.

So, if companies are already facing a multitude of unsolicited interruptions, why would they willingly add more to their plate by hiring an intern right now? For starters, here are just a few important reasons why:

Secure Future Talent

Employers can build a pipeline of future full-time talent without running the risk of hiring an applicant who ends up being the wrong person for the job. Internships provide a test-run for both the student and the employer. Gen Z interns get a true sense of what the company culture and potential full-time job would be like, and employers get valuable insight of the student’s personal qualities, skill sets, and potential.

Bank on Financial Savings

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an estimated 30% of an employee’s first-year salary could be the hefty price a business pays due to a bad hire. Assessing whether a student would make a good fit for the job during his or her internship could wind up saving an organization a pretty penny. In addition, Gen Z’ers are inexpensive assets. Although the pay range varies considerably depending on different variables, the average wage of paid interns in the United States is $17 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter’s August 2025 database scan.

Keep Up with Technology

Guy Yehiav, a member of the Forbes Technology Council, stated that Gen Z is a population of critical importance to the future development of enterprise technology, both as consumers and as workplace employees.” This tech- and social media-savvy generation can play a significant part in a company’s education and integration of the latest technology, techniques, and trends. They can also help businesses strategically leverage their social media presence, marketability, and efficiencies with the fresh knowledge they obtain in school and from their invaluable personal experience.