A snapshot of the future of work for children: from Aitana, Lamine Yamal, and their parents as dream bosses to retiring "when the government tells me to."

What do you want to be when you grow up? A question as simple as it is powerful, one that we've all been asked as children. This window into children's imaginations offers spontaneous answers, such as many girls and boys wanting to be soccer players or wishing their bosses were their parents, Aitana, or Lamine Yamal. To find out what youngsters think, the Adecco Group surveyed a multitude of Spanish children about their views on the job market, asking them about their ideal profession, their dream boss, and their retirement plans.

The most repeated answers to this mischievous question are soccer player, teacher, police officer, and astronaut. Far from giving meaningless or incongruent answers to the other questions, these little people demonstrate a keen ability to observe their surroundings and aim for professions in line with the current reality .

Among girls , the most frequently cited answers are teacher (19.4%), soccer player (10%), veterinarian (8.1%), doctor (6.9%), and psychologist (5.6%); to a lesser extent: singer (5%), hairdresser (4.4%), architect (3.8%), astronaut (3.1%), and cook (2.5%). Regarding the jobs they would like to have in the future, the most frequently cited person they say they would like to have in charge is singer Aitana, with 15.5% of the total, almost doubling Sara García, the trendy Spanish astronaut who received 8.4% of the votes. Third on the list is mother (7.1%), a tender response that demonstrates how many girls find in their mother a person to look up to. The following positions are occupied by television collaborator Lalachus (6.5%), singer Lola Índigo (5.2%), soccer player Aitana Bonmatí (4.5%), a friend or themselves (3.9%) and influencer Lola Lolita (2.6%).

Meanwhile, children want to be soccer players (20%), police officers (10%), YouTubers (7.3%), computer scientists (6%), firefighters (5.3%), engineers (4.7%), chefs (4%), lawyers (3.3%), basketball players (2.7%), and tennis players (2%). Almost half of children, 43.5%, prefer a leader who comes from a sports background, such as Lamine Yamal (13.1%), Carlos Alcaraz (11.8%), or Kylian Mbappé (5.2%). They also want their dad as their boss, who comes in third place with 7.8% of the total, and they think that a friend (4.6%) or themselves (2.6%) could be a good option. In addition, celebrities such as Ibai Llanos, David Broncano, and Plex would be part of what they consider their ideal boss, with 5.9%, 3.9%, and 2% respectively. Along the same lines as the girls, an astronaut sneaks in among the dream bosses, Pablo Álvarez, with 3.3% of the votes.

Six out of ten children consider opening their own business in the future. Girls are more proactive than boys in establishing themselves: 61.7% versus 56.8%.

In terms of business type, women are looking to open companies in the fashion and beauty sectors (19.2%), animal-related businesses (18.2%), psychology offices (10.1%), restaurants and kitchens (9.1%), and educational centers such as academies or schools (6.1%). Men are more interested in companies related to sports (22.6%), pets (11.9%), leisure and gaming (10.7%), motorsports (9.5%), and technology (8.3%). In addition, more unusual responses such as "sweet olive store," "cat cafes," "influencer agencies," or "things that care for the planet" reflect the imagination and desires of the youngest children.

The technological revolution has also had an impact on the child segment of the population. Faced with the possibility of working with robots, the percentage of girls and boys who would be delighted to have this technological advancement as a coworker decreased slightly compared to the 2024 survey (47.4% and 69.6%), to 47.4% and 52.1%, respectively. The youngest children are clear: "Robots can't run a bar" and "They don't understand things like we do. They would be a great help, but it's better to work person to person." Others are skeptical: "I just don't trust machines," "They'll invade us if we continue," they point out. And still others believe that these robots are a good workforce to boss around: "They're good to work with because they don't bother or talk," "They do everything and don't get tired," or "That's how I do my job and I give them orders," they say.

Similarly, more than half of respondents report using artificial intelligence like Chatgpt to complete homework, assignments, or essays (46.8%), to answer personal questions (33.1%), to translate texts (7.8%), and to create photo montages (3.9%). Their honest responses are a reminder that generative AI is here to stay. With its ever-increasing capabilities, this useful tool can be a valuable resource for young children's learning, as long as it is taught from a perspective of support rather than a substitute for knowledge.

Faced with the dilemma of money or free time , 70.3% of girls value having free time more in the future, even if it means a lower salary. On the other hand, 64.4% of young men are on the opposite side. Overall, 4.5% believe that the ideal would be a balance between both options, and the rest still don't know what they would prefer. Far from seeming to have never considered it, it's surprising that they say they don't know because it would depend both on their job and whether or not they have a family.

Furthermore, the percentage of boys and girls who would like to pursue their careers in several companies rather than just one is higher than those who opt for the same position and the same career, with 50.3% for women and 55.9% for men.

The younger generations are clear that finding a job requires a good attitude (19.3%), solid training (18.6%), and basic personal traits such as being kind, a good person, respectful, or patient (14.5%). Only 3.2% highlight good job conditions among the important factors for finding work, while the most common responses focus on purpose and personal characteristics.

Nearly half of these young people believe they will be able to retire between the ages of 50 and 69 , while 11% believe they will never retire. Although they still have a long way to go before thinking about their retirement, many respond to the question about retirement age with such natural answers as "when the government tells me to," "when my legs and arms give out," "when I save up," or "when my grandchildren are grown up and they won't send me to take care of them, and I'll have all the time for myself."

With this innocent, outspoken spontaneity, the youngest members of the household demonstrate that they are aware of, or perhaps unconsciously have internalized, one of the problems facing Spain , which for them translates into retiring when the government tells them to or when they are so old that their legs and arms fail them.

The responses to the Adecco survey show how aware children are of the reality around them . They have an open, humane, and balanced view of what the world of work might hold for them. Their testimonies evoke that innocence in which work is seen as a force charged with vocations, with a soul and a name of its own, reminding us that they are the voices of the future and we must listen to them.