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Generation Z built environment (BE) undergraduates and graduates (Zoomers) are the latest cohort entering the job market. Existing research has yet to comprehensively explore approaches for attracting and engaging Zoomer employees within the BE sector. This study aims to identify effective strategies for recruiting and retaining Zoomers in the BE sector.

A mixed-methods research design comprising survey and interviews with Zoomers was employed. Data were collected from Zoomers via an online survey using a structured questionnaire and interviews.

The first finding, job flexibility, is the most important job motivator. Zoomers seek hybrid work arrangements, and a mix of fieldwork and desk bound work. The second finding, “earned media” (and not “owned media”), is an important way to attract Zoomers. As savvy digital natives, Zoomers rely on reviews about the organization posted on independent online platforms or employees’ own social media accounts. The third finding is the diminishing role of family in Zoomers’ decision-making about their careers.

The findings are limited to Zoomers’ views about recruitment and retention within the BE sector.

Recommendations are offered to organizations on strategic job redesign and increasing “earned media” to attract Zoomers.

The findings contribute to understanding Zoomers’ approach to recruitment and retention based on Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. Herzberg’s hygiene factors, which are essential benefits such as salary and career progression, remain important. The novel finding is the discovery of specific human resource (HR) practices that Zoomers consider to be hygiene factors, whereas older generations view them as “good-to-have” motivators. This underscores the intergenerational divergence in attitudes towards recruitment and retention in the BE sector.