While the Indian workforce is troubled with concerns about the availability of jobs, companies’ financial situation and its impact on their incomes and personal savings in the short term, they are still cautiously optimistic about the future, shows the ‘Workforce Confidence Index’ survey by LinkedIn.

The report, a bi-weekly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce, said that people showed a sense of cautious optimism about the future with a composite score of +53 in the first week of April this year.

The LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index is based on an online survey of more than 1,000 members on LinkedIn and uses a scale from -100 to +100 to reflect professionals’ current sentiments about the jobs market, their financial status, career progression, and their expectations going forward.

The report also highlighted the pandemic’s impact on the personal finances of Indian professionals, where a quarter of the Indian workforce (has reported a decrease in their incomes, while 39 per cent said a dip in personal savings, 42 per cent in personal spending, and 31 per cent in the number of investments.

However, the survey reveals that nearly half of Indian professionals are confident about achieving financial betterment in the next six months, while three out of five professionals believe they will make career progression in the next year.

Indians are also optimistic about the long-term economic stability, as findings show that 72 per cent of Indian professionals are confident about their companies bouncing back in the next two years, the report revealed.

"The survey reveals that while 42 per cent of Indian professionals will increase their time spent in job search in the next two weeks, 64 per cent will increase their focus on learning. This showcases the sense of determination among Indian professionals to navigate through these challenging times,” said LinkedIn.

“Based on the inaugural findings of the Workforce Confidence Index, it is reassuring to see a majority of India’s workforce remain confident about long-term outlook, and determined in the short-term to upskill, pivot, and adapt. We believe that exercising healthy doses of the 3Cs - confidence, caution, and compassion - can help us navigate these challenging times,” says Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.

Published on April 20, 2020