India helps LinkedIn cross 100 mn user milestone in APAC

Professional networking platform LinkedIn has crossed the 100 million user-mark in the Asia Pacific region with a major chunk of its users coming from India.
The US-based firm counts India has its second largest userbase after the home market with 37 million members.
In June, technology giant Microsoft had announced that it will acquire LinkedIn in an all-cash transaction valued at USD 26.2 billion that is expected to close this calender year.
LinkedIn said Asia Pacific region (APAC) has seen the member base doubling in two years and now represents 22 per cent of LinkedIn's global member base of over 450 million, LinkedIn said in a statement.

China accounts for more than 23 million members, while Australia has 8 million members in APAC region, it added.
The member base across Southeast Asia has also risen hitting 18 million, including 6 million in Indonesia, 4 million in the Philippines, 3 million in Malaysia, and 1 million in Singapore.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is amongst the prominent thought leaders on the platform as a LinkedIn Influencer.
Other influential users of LinkedIn include Piyush Gupta (Group CEO, DBS Bank), Hiroshi Mikitani (CEO, Rakuten), Tony Fernandes (Group CEO, AirAsia), Andrew Penn (CEO, Telstra), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon).

"The rapid pace at which we doubled our member base from 50 to 100 million members makes this milestone even more special. At this scale, LinkedIn is in an even stronger position to help members connect to economic opportunity, whether it's a new job, a promotion or other business opportunities," LinkedIn Asia Pacific and Japan Managing Director Olivier Legrand said.
Legrand added that 40 per cent or 280 million of the world's professionals are living and working in Asia Pacific and therefore, there is still plenty of runway for LinkedIn to grow.
"As the region continues to gain momentum as a key economic driver, we can't wait to see our members become even more successful and extend their influence across the world," he said.

In addition to their local connections, the top three countries Indian members are connected comprise the US, the UAE and the UK.
Also, homegrown companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys are amongst the top five companies with a strong network of employees on LinkedIn.
IBM and Cognizant are other companies in the top five.
Software developer emerged as the most common occupation on LinkedIn, followed by salesperson and business owner.
"With our localised products and solutions, we aim to keep the momentum alive and unlock greater economic opportunities for professionals and students by bringing them closer to their dream jobs," LinkedIn India Country Manager and Head of Product Akshay Kothari said.