Salary remains a key motivator for 74 percent Indians; benefits like medical insurance becomes an important criteria: apna.co reports

2022 has brought a new hope amongst professionals with markets slowly opening up again. To understand more about what the professionals of the rising workforce are looking forward to this year, apna.co, India’s largest professional networking platform conducted a study “Apna Bharat Back to Work” with more than 5000 professionals across Tier I and Tier II cities that reveals interesting upcoming trends.

According to the survey, more than 50 percent professionals are looking forward to switching their jobs in the next 3 months. Across domains, 4 out of 5 professionals would like to continue in the same job profile. The majority of the respondents are certain about their preferred location/city to work.

The study also reveals that on average the candidates at least apply for 5 jobs in a month. More than 50 percent are active job searchers on jobs platforms, 22 percent of the respondents keep searching for jobs all the time while 30 percent search once every alternate month.

In reference to the key triggers for searching for a new job, around 74 percent users said that they desire a higher salary, while 37 percent users are looking for a career progression.

The survey also reveals that while the professionals in Tier I cities are more aspirational while searching for a job, tier II users are largely driven by higher salaries. Respondents looking for career progression as the main motivation, however, are still open to gaining a different job as money continues to be the primary motivator however they look upon that job as a stop-gap solution while they are still on the lookout for the right kind of job basis their aspirations.

The survey also reveals that the rising workforce is now looking for additional benefits such as medical insurance for themselves and their families, perks such as creche services for child care, etc while considering a job.

Talking about the latest findings of the ‘Apna Bharat Back to Work’ survey, Karna Chokshi, Chief Operating Officer, apna.co, said “The rising workforce is the backbone of any business today and it is important for organizations to ensure their growth. We are certain that employers will take the findings of the survey seriously and support us in improving the working standards for the rising workforce” Data Entry and Back Office work emerged as the top two preferred areas when asked about their job category preference.

Remote working has gained popularity, with individuals searching for work from home (WFH) as a category itself. What started as a pandemic trend has now become an industry game-changer. WFH has especially been incremental amongst the women workforce in India. In comparison to men, more women are looking for a remote job with lesser commute time being the primary motivator that can provide flexible working hours which allows them to support their household work/pursue alternate forms of income generation such as tuition from home The youth of the country is also becoming more independent as many schools/college students look out for part-time jobs to finance themselves – their major motivation is ensuring they can finance their education thereby being a lesser burden to their family.

Freshers/ recent graduates are mostly looking for jobs related to their courses or education, however, with money being the primary motivator they apply for other jobs with the intention of it being a “stop-gap” solution in their life while they are still in the lookout for their aspirational job The essence of looking for any job is to gain a “respectable job” in their society and the definition of respectable could be anything ranging from a desk job to a field executive.

Online job search has also increased in the last two years due to the pandemic and is rapidly being adopted by users Pan-India. In recent months, apna has recorded tremendous growth with 22 million-plus users, more than 200,000 employer partners, and a presence in 60-plus cities in India and counting. The platform is currently enabling over 18 million interviews and 35 million professional conversations monthly.

About apna

Founded in 2019, apna.co is India’s largest jobs and professional networking platform dedicated to helping India’s rising workforce to unlock unique professional networking, and skilling opportunities. Having secured more than $190 million from marquee investors such as Tiger Global, Owl Ventures, Insight Partners, Lightspeed India, Sequoia Capital India, Maverick Ventures, GSV Ventures, Greenoaks Capital and Rocketship.vc apna is on a mission to enable livelihoods for billions in India. With over 22 million users, present in 50 plus cities and counting, and over 200,000 employers that trust the platform – India has a new destination to discover relevant opportunities.