The platform that connects (but not only) supply and demand of work reaches an important milestone. To tell us about these twenty years and imagine what the next twenty years will be like by the country manager for Italy, Marcello Albergoni
Eighteen million subscribers in Italy (930 worldwide), eight hires per minute, three registrations per second, 49 million visits per week to the Work page. These are just some of the figures that characterize LinkedIn, the ‘work social network’ that is blowing out twenty candles this year. The platform gives professionals, companies and even institutions the opportunity to present themselves, tell their stories, find new opportunities and stay in touch. To celebrate this significant anniversary, we visited LinkedIn’s beautiful Italian headquarters in Milan and chatted with Marcello Albergoni, country manager of LinkedIn Italy. “The platform – he tells us – was born in the living room of our founder, Reid Hoffman, who along with other partners came up with a way to give every professional an economic opportunity. From there, the concept of connecting people with each other and with companies was born, which he started and which is still the fulcrum of the entire platform.”
Twenty years of attention to work
LinkedIn has revolutionized the world of recruiting, job searching, as well as professional networking. It is now normal for job seekers to update their resumes on LinkedIn, check out the offers page or, for professionals, make “virtual friendships” and keep in touch, for example after a meeting or attending a course. But LinkedIn, says Albergoni, is no longer just a job-search platform: “The great revolution was that of overthrowing the concept of supply with the concept of ‘passive candidates'”, i.e. those who are not looking for work , but perhaps from the listing in 2011 to the landing in Italy exactly in the same year, from the acquisition by Microsoft (the largest for the Redmond giant ) in 2016 to the agreement in 2021 with the Ministry of Public Administration for the creation of the national public work recruitment portal. Then came the “influencers” i.e. users who can publish quality content that can inspire others to follow a path to one’s professional success. But how has LinkedIn always managed to remain a rather “serious” social network and, on average, much “cleaner” than the others? “For us, having an environment where one can feel comfortable publishing content in a professional language is a priority – adds the country manager – which then translates into credibility, trust”. And it’s a goal, he continues, achieved with a major commitment to moderation and also by “throwing out” people who just don’t understand that this isn’t a place to argue or offend others.
The Most Desired Jobs and Gen Z’s ‘Gold Mine’
What are, we ask during our chat, the most wanted jobs and jobs where there are more vacancies? The last few years have seen a boom in the world of technology: data scientists, systems engineers, cybersecurity experts and of course artificial intelligence experts, arguably the industry that is growing the most and fastest; but there is also a lot of attention for experts in the world of sustainability and environmental protection. LinkedIn has helped shape the concept of personal branding, job search, and networking for millennials (as well as bringing terms like “webinar,” “networking,” or “endorsement” into common parlance) and is now focusing on the needs and wants of Gen Z, that is, those born between the late 1990s and 2012. A different generation from the previous one, choosing a company based on 8,800 workers over the age of 18, according to a Censuswide survey based on how many opportunities it offers a balance between private life and work, on respect for diversity, equality, inclusion, sustainability, with opportunities for growth and learning. And to meet these new trends, LinkedIn has introduced a new job search filter so professionals can easily search for jobs based on these values as well.
The next twenty years of LinkedIn
How will LinkedIn change in the next twenty years, which will be marked by the explosion of artificial intelligence, which will bring a real revolution in the world of work? “What I see in the next twenty years – concludes Albergoni – is that part of the job will certainly be replaced by artificial intelligence and part of the repetitive professions will no longer exist. However, it is also a great opportunity because companies can use this new technology to improve their products and services and to look at the future in a different way.
Source: TG 24 Sky
I am James Novak, a passionate and experienced news writer with the ultimate goal of delivering the most accurate and timely information to my readers. I work in the news department at a website dedicated to providing reliable and up-to-date information about technology. My articles are widely circulated, often featured on major publications, and have been read by millions of people around the world. With over four years of writing experience in various fields such as tech startups, industry trends, cybersecurity, AI/ML advances, and more, I bring an informed perspective to all topics I write on. Beyond my published work online and in print media outlets, I’m also an avid speaker at local events where I share my insights on current issues related to technology.
