This signals a shift in attitude where professionals are no longer willing to stick it out. Instead, they’re taking ownership of their careers and want to make up for lost time by focusing on productivity and career growth, according to the research.
Data from LinkedIn shows that job search activity on its platform increased by 9% year-on-year in 2023.
According to the report, desire for better work-life balance (42%) and need for higher wages (37%) in a challenging economic environment are the biggest motivators for changing jobs.
Job seekers are also willing to explore new career paths. About 79% (or nearly 8 out of 10) of the professionals who participated in the survey said they are looking for opportunities outside of their industry or role.
“As Indian professionals take charge of their careers in 2024, it’s going to get increasingly competitive with more professionals entering the job market,” Nirajita Banerjee, career expert and senior managing editor for LinkedIn India, said. “To be successful in their job hunt, it’s essential for professionals to stand out by dedicating time to spruce up their profiles, highlighting their skills, and staying informed about industry developments. This will help increase their chances of finding the job they want and develop skills needed to build a career with staying power.”While professionals are bullish, they are finding it hard to keep up with the rapid change in the skills required to do some jobs, largely because of the rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI).About 45% of professionals said they do not know how to match their skills to the job they want, which makes the job search process difficult.
LinkedIn data shows that in India, skills for jobs have changed by 30% since 2015. Professionals are also finding job hunting tough, with 55% saying that looking for a job is frustrating and 59% saying they rarely hear from recruiters.
About 72% of professionals said they have changed their job search approach, and have included experimenting with new formats such as video and digital resumes. They are also keen on using AI—about 81% said it can help make their job hunt more efficient.
They are also taking control of their career by investing in building their professional brand and tapping connections that can help them increase their chances of landing a job.
About 79% of professionals are posting more content on LinkedIn and 83% are becoming more active in growing their professional network.