Millennials Prefer Smaller Companies? Perhaps, But What Does it Mean?

Only seven percent of the Gen-Y generation (some say this is people roughly 18 to 29, other might use a slightly-different age range) works for a Fortune 500 company, according to Millennial Branding.

Some would argue the pattern exists because start-ups better reflect Gen-Y ("Millennial") values.

It is a simple demographic fact that Millennials will represent 75 percent of the workforce by 2025. But some might argue that "culture" and "values" have rather little to do with employment patterns of Millennials.

Since about 1980, enterprises, such as the "Fortune 500" firms, have been employing a smaller number of U.S. workers. Concurrently, there are more and more people working "for themselves," as well.

For example, “owner” is the  fifth most popular Millennial generation job title, according to Millennial Branding.

 Some would say this is because they are an "entrepreneurial" generation. Perhaps there is some truth to that characterization, but one might also note that the numbers and percentages of workers who work for smaller companies, or independently, have been climbing for decades.  Millennials choosing start-ups

So though it is possible that Millennials have a preference for start-ups, it also is possible that this simply is where the jobs are. The entire workforce has shifted since 1980 or so, one might argue.