LinkedIn crosses 100 mn members in India

New Delhi: Professional networking platform LinkedIn on Wednesday said it has crossed 100 million members in India, a 56 per cent growth in its member base over the last three years in the country. India has solidified its position as the second largest market for Microsoft-owned LinkedIn globally. The largest share of members in India are from software & IT, followed by manufacturing, corporate services (consulting, accounting and HR), finance, and education industries, the company informed.

"Our 100 million member community in India is using the platform extensively for more than jobs now. They are over-indexing on networking, messaging, and learning more than any other region globally," said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn. "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," he added. 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 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 India spent 4.6 million hours learning on the platform, which is nearly 2x the learning hours spent on LinkedIn in the US. "Despite tough macroeconomic conditions, learning in-demand skills will be critical for professionals to become more employable in any job market and reach their career goals in 2023," said the platform. This year's list of LinkedIn's top 10 most in-demand skills in India features management (1st spot), communication (4), and sales (10). Tech skills such as software development (2), SQL (3), and Java (5). Leadership (6) and analytical skills (8) also feature on the list as important soft skills needed across various job functions.