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| Photo Credit: Reuters
LinkedIn, a professional network, said it crossed 100 million members in India on Wednesday.
With a 56% growth in its member base over the last 3 years, the country solidified its position as the second largest market for LinkedIn globally, it said in a statement.
Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn said, “These recent years have drastically changed the way we work. It is heartening and gratifying, to see our 100-million member community in India using the platform extensively for more than jobs now – they are over-indexing on networking, messaging, and learning more than any other region globally.’‘
Linkedin has been helping them find the right opportunities, connect with peers and mentors, and acquire new skills to advance their careers, he said.
“With new tech advancements and newer digital opportunities on the horizon, it’s inspiring to see our country being fully engaged in skilling and upskilling, with members in India consuming twice as many learning hours on the platform when compared to members in the U.S,’” added Mr, Gupta.
In 2022 alone, according to LinkedIn, professionals in India spent 4.6 million hours learning on the platform, which is nearly 2x the learning hours spent on LinkedIn in the U.S. This sharpened focus on skilling came at a time when 85% of L&D leaders agree that learner engagement has increased in their companies.
Despite tough macroeconomic conditions, learning in-demand skills would be critical for professionals to become more employable in any job market and reach their career goals in 2023, predicted LinkedIn.
The largest share of members in India was from software and IT, followed by manufacturing, corporate services (Consulting, Accounting, and HR), finance, and education industries, Linkedin said.
This steady surge in membership shows how LinkedIn has become an essential platform for professionals in India to connect, learn, grow, and get hired over the course of their careers, said the communique.
As jobs and career paths become increasingly non-linear, companies in the county are adopting a skills-first approach to hiring with more than 50% of India’s recruiters on LinkedIn using skills data to fill their roles, which is higher than the global average of 45%, claimed the network.