- Get real There's nothing like the prospect of recession to focus the mind. Generation Y has stopped talking about sustainability and technowizardry. Now they want jobs, cash and pensions. A survey by Freshminds Talent of 1,000 people showed that 28 per cent of Gen Y wanted a signing-on bonus, compared to 13 per cent of Baby Boomers, and 68 per cent rated a contributory pension scheme as the most desirable job perk, against

66 per cent of Generation X workers. Gen Y workers also admitted that they valued a higher salary over corporate social responsibility. All of which is good news if Steve Carter, managing director of Nigel Lynn, the recruiter, is correct. He says that “Generation Y may have some hard lessons to learn. We need to get back to the Generation X ethos of hard work, long hours and less time off.”

- Blow the whistle The number of employees who claim to have been sacked or disciplined for blowing the whistle on malpractice at work has nearly tripled in the past two years, according to EMW Picton Howell, a law firm. With redundancies continuing apace, expect the numbers to keep going up, especially among disgruntled City employees. This can be dangerous for employers - unlike unfair dismissal claims, damages for whistleblowing claims at employment tribunals are uncapped.

- Choose a big name Wannabe accountants would most like to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), according to a survey of graduates by the website WikiJob.co.uk. PwC polled 38 per cent of the 200 votes, closely followed by Deloitte, which gained 27 per cent. Fifty-two per cent of would-be bankers would choose to work for Goldman Sachs. Sticking with the big names may not be a bad idea - a survey of 500 SME owners by T-Mobile showed that 39 per cent would be hiring fewer graduates over the next few months and 24 per cent were undecided about hiring plans.

- Take risks It is Global Enterprise Week and scientists at the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School believe they have found the trait that distinguishes entrepreneurs: risk-taking. “Functional impulsivity”, or the ability to make quick decisions under stress, may have “evolutionary value as a means of seizing oppor- tunities in a rapidly changing environ- ment”, the researchers say. In future, this could be taught or “enhanced by pharmaceuticals”, they report. www.enterpriseweek.org.uk

- Keep dreaming As children we dream of being teachers, nurses, vets or IT workers, but we tend to drift into jobs with only 40 per cent of us sticking to a career plan, according to a survey of 2,000 UK employees by CHA, the consultancy. As adults we'd most like to work for Apple, Google, Microsoft or HSBC and we'd least like to work for British Gas, McDonald's or BT. The main reason for these choices? Our experiences as customers.

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