Workers have demonstrated a willingness to learn new skills and expand their knowledge. In 2020, people around the world would have spent 43 million hours learning a new ability. Skills are becoming increasingly important to businesses. Indeed, 77 percent of hiring managers and recruiters in APAC have used skills and competencies in job requirements at least once in the last year.
Microsoft and LinkedIn identified a potential skills shortage last year and vowed to help 25 million people improve digital skills for in-demand employment through various initiatives. About 30 million workers have been reskilled for these jobs as a result of their efforts. Nearly 5.5 million people in Asia have gained new digital skills due to these programs, allowing them to compete in the reshaped digital economy.
“More and more, we are seeing skills become the new currency in our world of work,” said Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn Managing Director & Vice-President, Asia Pacific & China. People all over the world have expressed a desire to learn and develop their skills. Organizations are now recruiting on the basis of expertise rather than conventional credentials. LinkedIn and Microsoft are dedicated to assisting everyone in the transition to a skills-based economy. In 2021, we'll keep working to provide job seekers with the tools they need to learn new skills and link them to opportunities, with the goal of assisting 250K businesses in making a skills-first hire.”
This year, LinkedIn and Microsoft hope to help more people better understand, develop, and match their skills to opportunities. Through December 31, 2021, they will offer free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses, as well as low-cost certifications that align with ten of the most in-demand jobs. They'll also make new tools from LinkedIn, GitHub, and Microsoft accessible to assist all — students, job seekers, participants, and employers — in moving toward a skills-based future.
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To assist young students in developing a growth mentality to achieve potential success:
Career Coach, a Microsoft Teams app driven by LinkedIn, helps higher education students navigate their career paths with personalized guidance. Using an AI-based skill identifier, Career Coach provides educational institutions with a single career solution for students to discover their aspirations, desires, and abilities. Incorporating LinkedIn with a student's detailed profile aligns it with job market trends, allowing them to develop real-world skills and interact with mentors and peers all in one place.
To support job seekers who have developed new skills in seeking opportunities:
Over the next three years, Microsoft Career Connector hopes to put 50,000 job seekers in tech-enabled positions. This one-of-a-kind online platform will appeal to students who have acquired skills through Microsoft's non-profit and learning partners.
LinkedIn will launch new expressive, inclusive, and personalized profile features that will allow users to share more about themselves, their careers, and their aspirations more authentically and engagingly, helping them to stand out in their professional communities.
Job seekers may use Video Cover Story to show recruiters and hiring managers their soft skills. According to 75% of hiring managers, a typical resume is inadequate in assessing a candidate's soft skills. When it comes to vetting candidates, nearly 80% believe video has become more relevant.
If you're a freelancer looking to expand your market, talking about your services will help you find new clients. You can create a dedicated Service Page right from your profile, listing the services you provide, allowing you to meet LinkedIn's global community of nearly 740 million members. Video is a fantastic way to highlight your skills and interests if you're looking to grow your following and engage your audience.
Turning on the New Creator Mode in your Profile dashboard makes it even easier to share your story in real-time with those who enjoy sharing unique perspectives and are working on expanding their LinkedIn following. With creator mode activated, you can: Increase your following by adding a "Follow" button to your profile; Make it easier to connect with people interested in your expertise by adding hashtags to the top of your profile. Consider the hashtags #design and #mentorship. To assist many more companies in recruiting for skills:
Many people will be left behind if applicants are judged solely on their credentials. Via its latest and current recruiting offerings, LinkedIn is dedicated to assisting 250K businesses in making a skills-first recruit by 2021.
LinkedIn Skills Route, a modern way for businesses to employ for skills, integrates LinkedIn Learning courses with Ability Tests to help recruiters source applicants more equitably—based on their demonstrated abilities.
These efforts build on LinkedIn and Microsoft's previous efforts to put the ecosystem together to help Asia's workforce reskilling for inclusive economic recovery.
Microsoft collaborated with governments and more than 30 non-profits across Asia in FY20 to help 1.2 million people joining the labor market become more employable. Microsoft is committed to taking skills services to all, anywhere, and meeting them where they are by expanding its commitments to help educational institutions and NGOs. Microsoft expects to invest $50 million in over 150 non-profits to skill 5 million underserved individuals and link them to employment and livelihood opportunities worldwide. Today, anybody can work from anywhere, regardless of their location, which opens up many opportunities for those with the right skills to find new work.
The announcement builds on Microsoft and LinkedIn's global skills program, which provides free access to LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and the GitHub Learning Lab, as well as Microsoft Certifications and LinkedIn job-search resources, all of which can be found at opportunity.linkedin.com.