LinkedIn focuses on upskilling blue-collar workers

Founder said the company has done some experiments with blue collar jobs in the US

Professional networking firm LinkedIn has seen "extremely healthy" growth in India and is now working towards bringing blue-collar jobs onto its platform to further expand its offerings, its co-founder Allen Blue today said.

LinkedIn, which has over 500 million members, counts India as its second-largest user base with over 42 million users. The platform allows employers and job-seekers to connect with each other.

LinkedIn today announced its partnership with IL&FS Skills Development Corporation Ltd (IL&FS Skills) to help upskill and improve the employability of blue-collar workers and job-seekers in the country.

"The growth in India is tremendous and the way we measure our success, the growth in India is extremely healthy. Moving into the blue-collar space is something we know we need to do to be successful here in India," Blue told PTI.

He explained that India has employers of various sizes, right from global companies to small and medium enterprises and that they need have a variety of skill requirements.

"LinkedIn traditionally has focused on white-collar jobs...this is an opportunity for us to understand and work with those companies who are interested in hiring all throughout the skills sector," he said.

Blue said the company has done some experiments with blue collar jobs in the US.

The partnership with IL&FS Skills will offer a great scope to learn that can be taken to other parts of the world, he added.

Under the programme, IL&FS Skills will design and provide skilling modules and training environment, while LinkedIn will help the students find a job.

Through an interface powered by LinkedIn, the students will be able to create a profile, access learning content, build their network by connecting with classmates, seniors and instructors and get a job.

An initial batch of 400 people will be trained in the hospitality sector. The programme will be extended to other industries later.

"India has a massive blue-collar workforce, one that can be a game-changer for businesses and our economy. We hope that this partnership will help narrow the gap between the demand and supply of talent," Akshay Kothari, Country Manager and Head of Product at LinkedIn India, said.

Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship Secretary K P Krishnan said skilled wage premium has been absent in India, primarily a result of information asymmetry.

"I have no way of signalling I am a qualified skilled person to a potential employer. Technology hugely helps in addressing this asymmetry," he added.