The survey, commissioned by Robert Half International and Yahoo! HotJobs, examines the professional priorities of the most senior members of Generation Y or the "Millennials" -- those who have already started a career or will soon start one. More than 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 28 were polled for the project.

Generation Y workers were asked, "What is your number-one career concern for the future?" The responses, which were recorded verbatim, fell into three major categories: Salary and healthcare/retirement benefits (33 percent), job stability (26 percent), and career satisfaction (23 percent).*

"The Gen Y professionals we surveyed were focused on practical concerns, such as saving enough money for retirement and being able to balance work and family obligations," said Reesa Staten, senior vice president and director of workplace research for Robert Half International. "These basic quality-of-life needs are common among all demographics in the workplace."

Staten noted that survey respondents placed the most emphasis on money, benefits and professional growth. "Gen Y workers want the best healthcare and retirement benefits employers can provide as well as defined career paths. To recruit these professionals, firms should make these programs easy to understand, promote them in detail on the company website and highlight them during the interview process," she said.

*The remaining 18 percent fell into the categories "other," "none," and "don't know."