57% Indians prefer using regional languages for job search: Apna.co study

Vernacular language interface is driving higher engagement on Apna.co platform. Data from the past one year shows that after English, Hindi is the most popular language, followed by Kannada and Tamil

Apna.co, India’s largest jobs and professional networking platform in India said that more than 57 per cent of its users prefer a vernacular language to search for opportunities and build their professional networks. Launched in 2019, Apna’s app is presently available in 10 languages apart from English, including Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, and Telugu.

The vernacular language interface is driving higher engagement on the platform. The data collected over the last year also reveals that after English, Hindi is the most popular language followed by Kannada and Tamil.

According to Apna, users in Tier-II cities are more likely to choose a vernacular language to enable their job search and professional networking. Cities including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Bhilai have the highest percentage of regional language users on Apna.  The platform’s data also highlights an increasing percentage of users from metros like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai being more comfortable in looking for a job in a language other than English.

“The comfort and familiarity of interacting in their first language builds confidence and enables our users to find hyperlocal opportunities with ease,” said Manas Singh, Chief Business Officer, Apna.co. “We are certain that the trend of using vernacular languages will strengthen as we expand to more cities in India.”

During the past 12 months, Apna has enabled more than 72 million interviews and over 60 million professional conversations in a regional language. The vernacular language tech has been built in-house by Apna.

Proficiency in regional languages is also opening an array of job opportunities as internet companies offer their products to users in Bharat. Apna offers a variety of jobs that do not require English as their core competency. The hot job roles include Telecallers/BPO executives, delivery partners, sales, back office, computer/data entry operator, accounts, finance, driver, marketing, and retail.

Apna is expanding its presence to more cities, helping job seekers easy access to prospective roles, considering their respective skills, experience and other preferences. The Apna app comprises 70-plus communities for skilled professionals such as carpenters, painters, tele-callers, field sales agents, delivery personnel and others. Apna communities have enabled users to grow their professional networks, upskill through peer learning and discover gig opportunities.