London, August 2026: Gen Z workers could be losing more than 10.5 million hours a week, and over 544 million hours a year, to financial stress, according to a survey of 2,000 UK workers for Octopus Money (1).

Nearly three in four (74%) Gen Z employees admit they feel behind financially, worse than millennials (68%), Gen X (61%) or Boomers (40%) (2).

A third (33%) are already worrying about their pension, despite being decades from retirement, with 44% upping their pension payments in the last five years to catch up, more than any other generation (3).

But when the worry hits, Gen Z isn’t calling HR. Nearly half (49%) ask family or friends first, three in ten (29%) Google it, and almost one in five (17%) turn to an AI chatbot. Just 12.5% go to their employer’s HR team (4).

It’s not that HR teams aren’t offering help: 72% of Gen Z say their employer already has some kind of financial support in place. The problem is very few people know about it, with just 35% knowing exactly what’s on offer.

Nearly a third (32%) say they had to figure out their first payslip alone, with zero help from their employer, while others (27%) got no support buying their first home, and or when planning a family (27%).

Cost of living is Gen Z’s biggest worry, named by 46%, while more of them (27%) are stressed about getting on the property ladder than any other generation, double the rate of millennials (20%) and four times that of Gen X (7%) (5).

Google and AI don’t come with a safety net

Almost half (46%) wish they’d had money help from day one in their first job. And unlike a chatbot, workplace money support comes with someone accountable if the advice goes wrong.(6)

And when they do get it, it works: 93% of Gen Z who’ve used workplace money support say it made a real difference, and 80% say personalised support would make them stick with their employer, above the 65% average across all workers.

Amber Fraser, Head of People at Octopus Money, said: “The money decisions Gen Z employees make at the start of their career are some of the most consequential financial decisions they’ll ever make. But with more products available than ever, getting started with money feels increasingly complex, and HR teams are leaner than ever — most of us simply aren’t equipped to give the person-specific guidance people need to get the best outcome.

“It’s encouraging to see that many businesses are already tackling this issue through offering financial wellbeing benefits. The problem is awareness: too many employees don’t know it’s there. So the real opportunity for HR right now is prompting people to actually use it — this can be at the moments that matter most, such as before family leave, or when starting a new role and re-assessing contributions.”

Case study: Osborne Clarke

Osborne Clarke, an international law firm, has offered 1-1 financial planning with Octopus Money as a workplace benefit since 2024. Almost half of all employees have booked a free discovery session since launch, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. The firm encourages take-up through two annual campaigns, a Benefit Fair each March and Financial Wellbeing Month each September, alongside proactive coaching outreach.

Katie Walker, Senior Benefits Manager at Osborne Clarke, said: “Building a financial wellbeing offering that truly supports everyone – across all life stages and circumstances – is complex. Some people are just starting to get to grips with day‑to‑day budgeting, while others are focusing on longer‑term investment or retirement planning. There is no quick fix, but if Reward & Benefit teams shift their mindset and start to design more tailored solutions that reflect employees’ different needs and life stages, we can make meaningful and lasting progress.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Research conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Octopus Money, among a sample of 2,002 UK working adults. Fieldwork was conducted in July 2026. 

Research can be found in full in Four generations, one workforce, a report by Octopus Money.

Generational definitions: Gen Z (1997–2012), Millennials (1981–1996), Gen X (1965–1980), Baby Boomers (1946–1964). 

1. Our survey showed that 34% of Gen Z spend 3-5 hours thinking about personal money worries during the work week. We estimated 7.7 million employed 16-29 year-olds in the UK (ONS Labour Force Survey, Employment in the UK: August 2026), of whom 34% is 2.6 million. Applying the midpoint (4 hours) across that group gives 10.5 million hours a week, or 544 million hours a year. 
2. Feel behind financially (Yes Net): Gen Z 73.5%, Millennials 67.8%, Gen X 60.5%, Boomers 39.9%.
3. Increased pension contributions in the last five years: Gen Z 44.2%, Millennials 35.2%, Gen X 30.2%, Boomers 29.2%.
4. Where turn first for financial guidance (select up to 2), Gen Z: family or friends 48.5%, Google or an online search 29.0%, my own financial adviser 24.0%, an AI tool 17.0%, a bank or building society 19.0%, nowhere/manage alone 4.5%, my employer’s benefits or HR team 12.5%.
5. Getting on the property ladder / saving a deposit as a current pressure: Gen Z 26.6%, Millennials 19.7%, Gen X 6.9%, Boomers 0.5%.
6. Life stage at which people wish they’d first received employer financial wellbeing support , “early career (first job, first salary)”: Gen Z 45.5%, Millennials 42.8%, Gen X 44.8%, Boomers 37.9%. 
7. Would personalised, life-stage financial wellbeing support make you more likely to stay with your employer (Q13), Yes (Net): Gen Z 80.5%, Millennials 73.4%, Gen X 57.7%, Boomers 42.9% (All 64.7%).

About Octopus Money

At Octopus Money, we’re building the future of financial advice, helping more people get the support they need to plan for the life they want.

We’re a new kind of advice business – combining the best of humanity, smart technology and investment expertise. Anyone can get started directly through our website, and we work with some of the UK’s leading employers to give people access to 1-to-1, personalised help through the workplace.

Part of the Octopus Group, winner of Boring Money’s 2026 “Best for Low Cost Advice” and a certified B Corp, Octopus Money is committed to doing the right thing for customers, advisers and the future we all share.