Starting the new year with new possibilities, LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network, today launched a new job-seeker research which reveals that despite the pandemic, India’s workforce is optimistic about the future of work, and 82% are considering changing their jobs in 2022. To help them navigate today’s evolving world of work, LinkedIn has launched the ‘Jobs Bootcamp’ program of content, live events, and Learning courses on LinkedIn to help job seekers with job-seeking tips and career advice from experts.

The job-seeker research further reveals that the Great Reshuffle in India is being led by freshers with up to 1 year of work experience (94%) and Gen Z professionals (87%), who are more likely to consider changing jobs in 2022. Based on the responses of 1,111 professionals in India, the survey shows that professionals are leaving their current jobs due to poor work-life balance (30%), not enough money (28%), or greater career ambitions (23%). When looking for new roles in the new year, professionals in India say flexible working arrangements will be top priority.

Professionals are optimistic about the future of work, but 7 in 10 still doubt their own mettle

LinkedIn’s research reveals that professionals in India are confident about their job roles (45%), careers (45%), and overall job availability (38%) getting better in 2022. In fact, 86% of professionals in India say they are confident about the strength of their professional networks as they enter into the new year looking for new job opportunities.

But despite this confident outlook towards the future work, the survey also uncovers India’s emotional ambivalence as 71% of professionals say they question their abilities at work more now than before the pandemic, while 63% say they suffer from imposter syndrome. This self-doubt seems to be a byproduct of working in isolation for nearly two years as 33% of professionals say the pandemic has negatively impacted their confidence at work. Findings show that lack of face-to-face support from supervisors and peers (40%), having to take on new responsibilities (34%), and having to use more technology (31%) are the top 3 work stressors for professionals in India.

Better pay, appreciation, and work-life balance can convince professionals to stay

The top reasons that can convince professionals in India to stay with their current employer in 2022 include better salary (42%), more appreciation (36%), and improved work-life balance (34%). But findings also indicate a glaring disparity in the perception of men and women towards how they are being compensated by their current employers today.

According to the survey, working women (37%) are 1.3x more likely to quit their current job due to poor work-life balance, when compared to working men (28%). They are also more likely (49%) to say they will remain with their current employer if they get better pay, when compared to working men (39%). This may be a wake up call for employers to revisit their compensation benefits and ensure more inclusivity through their offerings.

IT, healthcare, and business development roles dominate this year’s Jobs on the Rise 2022 India list

To help job-seekers identify the fastest growing opportunities in India, LinkedIn has launched the second edition of the annual ‘Jobs on the Rise 2022 India list’. To put together this year’s rankings, LinkedIn looked at their platform data to identify job titles experiencing the highest growth rates from January 2017 through July 2021.

With businesses looking to further evolve their digital footprint in 2022, the list spotlights a growing demand for highly skilled IT workers (Site Reliability Engineer, Data Science Specialist, Machine Learning Engineer) and business development talent (Affiliate Marketing Specialist, Business Development Representative, Strategy Associate). The list also reveals that the healthcare sector is looking to fill vacancies for Wellness Specialists and Molecular Biologists who can mitigate the COVID-19 crisis and help businesses and communities to shelter from the pandemic.

“The pandemic has spurred people to rethink their careers and look for new job opportunities to meet their renewed purpose and priorities in life. As confidence in new opportunities grows, it is evident that the Great Reshuffle in India is clearly being led by job seekers, and talent is in the driver’s seat right now - with flexibility as their no. 1 priority today. Our Jobs on the Rise list shows that the demand for tech savvy talent is growing hotter across the IT, healthcare, and business development sectors. In this evolving labour market, there is no better time for us to launch a ‘Jobs Bootcamp’ - a series of LinkedIn Live events with career experts who will share career advice and job-seeking tips, the fastest-growing jobs list, the Top Voices: Career Experts List, and unlock a range of Learning courses that can help job-seekers build key skills to find their next opportunity in 2022,” shares Ankit Vengurlekar, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn News.

Here are the top 15 fastest growing jobs in India as per LinkedIn’s ‘Jobs on the Rise 2022 India list’:

Affiliate Marketing Specialist

Site Reliability Engineer

Molecular Biologist

Wellness Specialist

User Experience Researcher

Machine Learning Engineer

Recruitment Associate

Data Science Specialist

Chief Legal Officer

Ebusiness Manager

Back End Developer

Media Buyer

Strategy Associate

Business Development Representative

Service Analyst

While the fastest-growing list shows a number of new career opportunities in India, it also highlights a worrying gender imbalance for hires made in 2021. Out of the 15 fastest growing jobs listed, men constituted at least 70% of hires for IT roles such as Site Reliability Engineer (79%) and Machine Learning Engineer (78%); and Marketing & Advertising roles such as Affiliate Marketing Specialist (68%) and Media Buyer (67%). The 4 roles that saw more women being hired include Wellness Specialist (54%), User Experience Researcher (60%), Recruitment Associate (68%), and Strategy Associate (60%). Overall, more men were hired for IT and Marketing & Advertising roles as compared to women.

LinkedIn is also unlocking a range of LinkedIn Learning courses to help job seekers build key skills to find their next career opportunity. Some of these courses include Creating Great First Impressions, Video Interview Tips, Finding a Remote Job and Finding a Job at Companies That Embrace Diversity and Inclusion, and many more. These courses are available for free through 1 Feb 2022.