Employees in Asia will be more self-assured and prepared for a career transition than they were last year despite reports of layoffs and hiring freezes, according to LinkedIn.
This is based on the most recent data from a survey of more than 4,000 LinkedIn employees performed in Singapore, Australia, and India.
Workers are displaying "more resilience" and are prepared to handle any impending economic downturn despite recession fears, LinkedIn noted.
According to its research, 43% of workers in Australia and Singapore and 63% of workers in India said they are "more confident" about looking for work now than they were in 2022.
In addition, nearly half of those polled in Australia and India believe they are prepared for an economic crisis.
"The confidence and optimism we see from professionals points to them demonstrating more resilience post-pandemic to tackle any impact that an uncertain environment may bring," Pooja Chhabria, career expert and head of editorial for Asia-Pacific at LinkedIn, said (via CNBC).
According to LinkedIn, there was a 43% year-on-year rise in users adding skills to their profiles, indicating that employees are actively engaging in skill development to future-proof their professions.
"As professionals expand their skill sets, they are gaining more transferable skills that can be applied to multiple job roles and improves their likelihood of securing a job," Chhabria added.
One thing is certain: employees took the wheel in 2021 with more bargaining power as job opportunities reached historic highs. Remote employment has also allowed people the opportunity to work whenever and wherever they want during the pandemic. This has paved the path for post-pandemic work, and these desires are unlikely to fade anytime soon.
"We believe what will continue to happen in 2023 is people wanting jobs where they have more freedom, or make more money or enjoy the work more - or, in some cases, all three," said Chhabria.
Since 2022, rising levels of disengagement and discontent have been observed among workers.
Around 60% of respondents said they felt emotionally distant at work, and 19% said they were miserable, according to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report.
According to Chhabria, one of the key causes of disengagement and desire to leave a job is the absence of career advancement or growth.
Those who are successful in making an "internal move," such as a promotion or lateral move, are more likely to stay at their company longer than those who remain in their current roles, Chhabria added.
