Written by, April 30 -- Vidhi Mantry, Moitrayee Das

For the Gen Z generation, the corporate world has repackaged job-hopping with a beautiful new metaphor: "Lily Padding." Young workers are encouraged to make deliberate, lateral leaps between one "lily pad" (job) to another, acquiring a wide portfolio of abilities along the way, much like a frog across a pond.

Although HR directors frequently applaud this as a clever reaction to a turbulent, AI-driven market, we need to confront the unseen gatekeeper of this trend. Lily padding is a display of economic privilege more than just a career tactic. It is a luxury that is mostly available to people whose ability to survive is not dependent on a single monthly salary.

The idea that convention...