India Emerges As Second Biggest Market For LinkedIn As Users Cross 100 Million Mark

Microsoft-owned professional network LinkedIn on Wednesday announced that it has crossed 100 million members in India.

Microsoft-owned professional network LinkedIn on Wednesday announced that it has crossed 100 million members in India. The country has witnessed a 56 per cent growth in its member base over the last three years and has cemented its position as the second-largest market for LinkedIn globally.

The largest share of LinkedIn members in India come from software & IT, followed by manufacturing, corporate services (consulting, accounting and HR), finance and education industries.

“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. It helps them find the right opportunities, connect with peers and mentors, and acquire new skills to advance their careers," Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn, said in a statement.

 

"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 US. As we look to welcome the next 100 million professionals, we aim to be a true partner in the lives of professionals as India continues to build a skills-first labour market.”

In a bid to help businesses and professionals adopt a skills-first approach to better navigate uncertainty, LinkedIn has also launched the top 10 most in-demand skills required by companies and the Workplace Learning report to reveal the priorities of L&D leaders in India.

As jobs and career paths become increasingly non-linear, companies in India are adopting a skills-first approach to hiring with more than 50 per cent of India’s recruiters on LinkedIn explicitly using skills data to fill their roles, which is higher than the global average of 45 per cent.

In 2022 alone, professionals in the country spent 4.6 million hours learning on the platform, which is nearly two times the learning hours spent on LinkedIn in the US. According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, "upskilling employees" is the top priority for India’s L&D leaders, and "providing learning opportunities" is their top solution for improving retention.

This sharpened focus on skilling comes at a time when 85 per cent of L&D leaders agree that learner engagement has increased in their companies. Shedding light on the reason for this surge, findings show that the number one motivation for employees to learn is to progress towards their career goals.