Half of all parents don't think they could do their child's jobs; two-thirds don't know what their child does for work
LinkedIn and companies globally to open their doors for Bring In Your Parents Day on November 4
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., — November 4, 2016 — LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD), the world's largest professional network on the Internet, announced today that almost half (49 percent) of all parents believe they wouldn’t be able to do their child’s job for a day, and a lack of understanding of their role (cited by 69 percent) could be the reason why. To bridge the gap between parents and their children, LinkedIn is championing its annual Bring in Your Parents Day initiative, where hundreds of companies globally open their doors to their employees’ parents, on Friday, Nov. 4.
LinkedIn released today a new global study that examines the relationship between professionals and their parents and found several trends indicating a generational gap at work, including a lack of understanding about their children’s jobs and a lack of communication about how proud they really are:
Parents Don’t Tell Their Children They Are Proud, Yet Boast About Their Children’s Work to Others
Despite this apparent lack of understanding, an overwhelming 78 percent admit they brag about their child’s achievements to others. However, they aren’t quite as forthcoming to their own children — almost half (45 percent) of parents can’t remember the last time they told their child they were proud of them. Just over a quarter (27 percent) of parents blame a lack of opportunity for not expressing their pride, while one in 10 parents (10 percent) attribute it to a lack of understanding of their child’s job and day-to-day life.
Buzzwords, Skills and Basic Knowledge Leave Parents Confused
Almost half (46 percent) of parents are baffled by the buzzwords and lingo their child uses when talking about their job, while 28 percent think they would lack the relevant skills and knowledge to do the role. Fifteen percent confess to not knowing their child’s job title or even what company they work for.
Parents Think Their Children Will Surpass Their Own Professional Success
Parents also believe their children have more opportunities in the workplace than they did — 56 percent of mothers believe their daughters have more opportunities to progress in their careers. Meanwhile, over half (53 percent) of parents think their child earns more than they did at their age, and 32 percent think their kids are on track to be much more successful in their career.
Parents Misunderstand Some of Today’s Top Jobs
The study also showed that parents misunderstand some of the top jobs available today:
- UI designer (80%)
- Actuary (73%)
- Data scientist (72%)
- Social media manager (67%)
- Sub editor (66%)
- Radio producer (62%)
- Sociologist (60%)
- Investment banker (59%)
- Software developer (58%)
- Fashion designer (57%)
“It’s very clear that parents are proud of their child at work, yet they don’t understand the specifics of their professional world,” says Pat Wadors, SVP of Global Talent, LinkedIn. “We are thrilled to be able to inspire hundreds of companies worldwide to help connect parents to their children’s professional lives just by opening up our workplace for a day.”
LinkedIn Bring In Your Parents Day is being held on Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, in 15 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Singapore, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States. Businesses and individuals worldwide are encouraged to take part in the day. You can find out more about the day at biyp.linkedin.com or join conversations on Twitter with #LinkedIn #BIYP.
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the ways companies hire, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has offices around the world.
Methodology
The research was commissioned by LinkedIn and conducted by Censuswide. The survey examined 16,529 parents between Oct. 4 and Oct. 17, 2016, in the following countries: UK, U.S., Canada, Australia, France, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Brazil, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy and India.