A significant portion of Generation Z workers, who entered the workforce during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, have shown a strong preference toward starting and maintaining relationships online. The practice is beginning to alter how firms think about recruitment and youth outreach, Quartz reports.

Virtual relationship-building has become much more mainstream in professional settings in the past year. Nearly 7 in 10 Gen Z job seekers — people in their early-to-mid-20s — believe they don’t need to meet in person to create a meaningful professional connection, per a survey from early career platform Handshake, while 80% believe digital connections sparked by messages will lead to a job opportunity.

This trend can be seen as an extension of other forms of online socialization and leisure, including online dating, but also has significant impacts on diversity and inclusion hiring. Research from Handshake shows virtual career events level the playing field for applicants of color, women, people in the LGBTQIA+ community and people with disabilities.

Large corporations have applied these lessons and observations to their own digital hiring practices, including Ford, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble, which launched a live virtual recruiting campaign called “This is Love,” featuring news anchor and TikTok influencer Megan Mitchell.

There is also an understanding that in a tight labor market, virtual recruiting offers a more diverse talent pool and can help reach new potential talent and empower those with disabilities to more easily apply and work remotely.