LinkedIn on Wednesday announced that it has crossed 100 million members in India. With a 56 percent growth in its member base over the last three years, India has solidified its position as the second-largest market for LinkedIn globally.

According to LinkedIn, the largest share of members in India are from software & IT, followed by manufacturing, corporate services (Consulting, Accounting, and HR), finance, and education industries. 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.

Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn said that LinkedIn’s India users are over-indexing on networking, messaging, and learning more than any other region globally. According to him, it helps them find the right opportunities, connect with peers and mentors, and acquire new skills to advance their careers.

“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,” he added.

Also Read: Zoom to lay off 1300 employees or 15% of its workforce: CEO Eric Yuan says in blog

LinkedIn has also launched the top 10 most in-demand skills required by companies, and the Workplace Learning report to reveal the priorities of Learning and Development (L&D) leaders in India.

Professionals are motivated to learn as skilling proves key to hiring, developing, and retaining talent

LinkedIn said that companies in India are adopting a skills-first approach to hiring with more than 50 percent of India’s recruiters on the platform explicitly using skills data to fill their roles, which is higher than the global average of 45 percent.

“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. 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,” the company said in a statement.

Also Read: PhonePe CEO says Bengaluru is the startup capital of India

The report also added that this sharpened focus on skilling comes at a time when 85 percent 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.

Business, marketing, tech, and people skills are most in-demand in 2023

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.

This year’s list of LinkedIn’s top 10 most in-demand skills in India features a blend of business and marketing skills such as Management (#1), Communication (#4), and Sales (#10); and 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.

Also Read: Safer Internet Day: Meta partners with MeitY, Delhi Police and more to launch awareness campaigns