Job market being bleak, more Indians turn entrepreneurs

New Delhi: While the job market still looks bleak in India after a pandemic-hit 2020, the world's professional network LinkedIn said on Wednesday it has seen a 10 per cent growth in members with the title 'founders' or 'co-founder' on their profiles on the platform. Entrepreneurship looked up for Indian professionals last year.

"This uptick in new entrepreneurs was particularly strong in the fields of mental healthcare, e-learning and online media," according to the latest LinkedIn 'Workforce Confidence Index'.

"Skills are expected to become the new professional 'currency' this year as workers from different generations rely on learning new skills to future-proof their careers, at a time when industries continue to strengthen their remote operations," said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.

"Reimagining employee skills and roles to welcome the post-pandemic ways of working will be crucial to building resilience for companies across sectors," Gupta added. Based on the survey responses of 1,752 professionals, findings from January 1-29 revealed that professionals in India are confident about career progress despite growing uncertainties about the job market and financial future in the current environment. Nearly 80 per cent professionals are confident about skilling opportunities, while 79 per cent are confident about the strength of their CVs.

However, the survey showed a dip in India's overall confidence. The survey attributes this dip in optimism to the workforce's growing concerns about the status of the pandemic, surmounting expenses, and job availability in the present economic climate.