Tens of thousands of tech workers have lost their jobs this year, and the next generation is taking notice that the days of free meals and hefty stock options may be over.

While tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Apple used to near the top of the “preferred employer” list for high school students, they have since slipped, according to the 2024 Career Interest Survey by the National Society of High School Scholars, an academic honor society with over two million members. The survey, conducted from January 17 to March 6, counted over 10,000 participants across the US and US territories, as well as overseas military bases.

In 2024, Google fell to seventh place among preferred employers — three spots down from 2022. In 2018, Google had been the second-highest preferred employer for high schoolers, and it topped the list in 2017. Amazon came in after Google as the eighth-highest preferred employer for high schoolers in 2024, falling three places from fifth in 2022. And Apple fell from eighth to ninth place between 2022 and 2024.

The shift from 2018 to 2024 could reflect the tech sector’s decade-long boom meeting its demise with massive rounds of layoffs starting in 2022. In a survey of 2024 college graduates by Handshake, a job search platform for college students, 76 per cent of respondents said job stability was the most important factor when considering where to apply. Location was the second-most important factor, and positive employer reputation was the third-most important.

While the tech industry seems to be losing interest from Gen Z, healthcare is gaining.

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and Health Care Service Corp were the top preferred employers for high school students in 2024. Health /healthcare climbed the list of issues most important to respondents, with 32 per cent calling it an issue that’s important to them. On the same list, innovation in science and technology fell from 34 per cent in 2022 to 28 per cent in 2024.