The labor market is undergoing large-scale transformations caused by changes in the demographic structure of the workforce, Generation Y and Generation Z are beginning to prevail, and therefore the importance of digital technologies in the life of society and the state is sharply increasing. Generation Z is significantly different from the previous ones considering their relation to life, basic values, goals and ambitions, which causes the lack of motivational levers of influence on young people to restore the balance of labor in sectors of the economy where there is a shortage of it. The subject of the study is the preferences of Generation Z in professional activity and their basic values. The methodological basis of the study is a survey of students aged 18 to 23 years studying in Russia (Yekaterinburg) and France (Grenoble). The article examines the features of generation Z as a social community, the effects predicted from the arrival of young people on the labor market and ways to normalize the situation in conditions of uncontrolled turbulence caused by shifts between the power of influence of online and offline spheres of activity. The results of the study indicate a relatively low level of dissemination of trends predicted for the labor market at the moment; however, they confirm the main distinctive features of generation Z, manifested in personal priorities and interests. The results of the study can be used in making forecasts of economic changes associated with changes in the demographic structure of the working-age population, for analyzing educational programs and their relevance to changing labor market conditions, as well as for further tracking of the trends identified during the study in order to obtain data for dynamic analysis.