LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, was launched in 2003 and quickly became the go-to place for people to connect with colleagues, find jobs, and build their professional brand online. But with the rise of other social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, some wonder if LinkedIn is still a relevant platform in today’s digital landscape. Here we’ll look at who’s still using LinkedIn in 2023 and what they get out of it.
Who is still using LinkedIn in 2023?
Despite social media’s continued growth and evolution, LinkedIn remains popular among several key demographics:
- Working professionals – With over 800 million members, LinkedIn continues to be a key gathering place for professionals in every industry. It’s especially popular among knowledge workers in fields like tech, business, healthcare, academia, and more.
- Job seekers – LinkedIn’s massive user base makes it one of the top places to search for job opportunities and connect with recruiters and hiring managers. 85% of all jobs are posted on LinkedIn.
- Career builders – Those focused on advancing their careers use LinkedIn to network, join industry groups, follow thought leaders, take online courses, and build their personal brand.
- Business owners – Entrepreneurs and business leaders leverage LinkedIn to promote their companies, connect with partners, share content, and attract talent.
- Sales professionals – LinkedIn’s depth of professional data makes it a go-to platform for sales prospecting and connecting with potential customers.
- Recruiters – LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Jobs are essential tools for recruiters sourcing and connecting with candidates for open positions.
- Marketers – 44% of social media marketers say LinkedIn is critical or important to their efforts, using it for organic content sharing, paid advertising, and generating leads.
- Students – Those nearing graduation or newly graduated use LinkedIn to network, find internships and entry-level jobs, and build skills and credentials.
- Influencers – Thought leaders in every industry have built large followings sharing content and commentary on LinkedIn.
While other sites may have larger total user counts, LinkedIn remains the #1 professional social network by far due to its unparalleled depth of career-focused users and ability to target outreach.
Why do people still use LinkedIn?
There are several key reasons LinkedIn maintains such a strong user base, especially among business professionals:
- Professional networking – LinkedIn provides an easy way for people to expand their professional networks by connecting with colleagues, clients, partners, and more.
- Job opportunities – LinkedIn has become the #1 site for posting jobs and finding job candidates. Users can search listings, connect with recruiters, and apply for roles right on LinkedIn.
- Building a professional brand – A polished LinkedIn profile and thoughtful content sharing allows users to enhance their reputations and personal brands.
- Thought leadership – Leaders and experts publish long-form posts to establish credibility and get their ideas and insights in front of the LinkedIn audience.
- Lead generation – The depth of professional data makes LinkedIn ideal for B2B lead mining and connecting with potential customers.
- Professional news – Users follow companies, publications, and influencers directly on LinkedIn to stay on top of industry news.
- Online learning – LinkedIn Learning provides users unlimited access to 15,000+ expert-led online courses to gain new skills.
- Targeted advertising – LinkedIn ads can be finely targeted by industry, job role, skills, experience level, and many other factors.
- Company research – Users can research employers to learn about company culture, open positions, and what it’s like to work there.
- Peer knowledge sharing – LinkedIn Groups and social engagement allow for idea exchange and networking within specific industries and interest areas.
For connecting with other professionals, finding career opportunities, establishing thought leadership, and targeted marketing, LinkedIn still provides significant value in the digital landscape.
How many people use LinkedIn?
As of Q1 2022, LinkedIn reported having over 830 million registered members. While not all members are actively using the platform, LinkedIn has maintained steady user growth:
Year | LinkedIn Members |
2016 | 433 million |
2018 | 546 million |
2020 | 690 million |
2022 | 830+ million |
Roughly 42% of LinkedIn’s users are located in North America. The platform sees significant usage in Europe, Asia Pacific, and other global markets as well. Some surveys suggest 50-70% of professionals use LinkedIn at least monthly if not more frequently.
What are LinkedIn users doing on the platform?
LinkedIn users engage with the platform in various ways, including:
- Networking with colleagues, clients, partners, etc.
- Searching open job listings and connecting with recruiters
- Researching companies they are interviewing with or hope to work for
- Joining industry-specific Groups to share advice and build connections
- Following thought leaders, influencers, and publications to stay informed
- Sharing updates, articles, and other content to build their brand
- Participating in LinkedIn’s online education courses via LinkedIn Learning
- Looking for sales leads and connecting with potential new clients
- Running targeted ads to reach LinkedIn’s professional audience
- Messaging connections directly for networking outreach
- Reading professional news stories via LinkedIn’s curated newsfeed
Levels of usage vary from passive consumption of content to regularly engaging with connections and sharing professional updates. But most find value in cultivating an active presence that allows them to build relationships, further careers, and be seen as industry experts.
How much time do LinkedIn users spend on the site?
One survey showed that users spend an average of 29 minutes per month using LinkedIn across web and mobile devices. However, usage time varies significantly based on how members engage with the platform:
- Occasional users – Check LinkedIn a few times per month primarily for reading news and light networking. Average just a few minutes per month.
- Moderate users – Visit LinkedIn weekly to share content, network, and research. Spend 5-15 minutes per week on average.
- Power users – Use LinkedIn daily or almost daily for networking outreach, sharing content, job seeking, and more. Spend 30-60+ minutes per week.
- Company pages – Those managing company pages invest heavier time into sharing content and engaging followers. May spend 1-2 hours per week.
Usage often occurs in shorter bursts rather than prolonged sessions. But the more active members are on LinkedIn, the more time they dedicate to building connections and sharing valuable updates.
What activities and features do users value most?
While individual usage patterns vary, some of the LinkedIn activities and features members cite as most valuable include:
- Profiles – Keeping profiles updated with experience, education, skills, and recommendations.
- Newsfeed – Staying up to date with industry news, company updates, and content from followed accounts.
- Groups – Joining Groups focused on topics of interest to engage in discussions.
- Jobs – Taking advantage of LinkedIn’s extensive job listings and hiring resources.
- Messaging – Communicating directly with other members via LinkedIn messaging.
- Posts – Publishing long-form posts to share expertise and perspectives.
- Content sharing – Re-sharing valuable updates, articles, and links from around the web.
- Learning – Leveling up skills via LinkedIn Learning online video courses.
- Search – Searching members and companies to find new connections and opportunities.
These core features keep professionals engaged and add value to the time spent on LinkedIn. While less structured than some networks, users ultimately curate the experience in ways that best support career goals.
What types of professionals are most and least likely to use LinkedIn?
Usage levels can vary across industries and job functions:
Most likely to use LinkedIn
- Recruiters – Using LinkedIn to source talent is core to recruiters’ jobs.
- Marketing professionals – Essential for connecting with prospects, building brand awareness, generating leads.
- Sales professionals – LinkedIn is unparalleled for sales prospecting and researching contacts.
- Information technology – Strong usage in tech is driven by recruitment, partnerships, thought leadership.
- Consultants – LinkedIn enables consulting pros to discover new business opportunities.
- Finance – Finance professionals leverage extensive networking and industry insights.
Less likely to use LinkedIn
- Education and government – More limited business mandate and job mobility versus corporate roles.
- Skilled trades – On-the-ground skillsets versus knowledge work; less networking focus.
- Healthcare – Public/private blur means less job mobility and open sharing of achievements.
- Retail, hospitality, and food service – More transient work and less professional networking built into roles.
- Students – Often start leveraging LinkedIn more nearing graduation and entering workforce.
Those more established in professional careers see significant upside from actively engaging on LinkedIn. But all members can benefit from having a polished profile and basic presence.
How do younger generations use LinkedIn?
While commonly associated with experienced professionals, younger demographics like Gen Z (age 18-25) and Millennials (26-40) do use LinkedIn, albeit often differently than older users:
- New graduates use LinkedIn to network, find first jobs, and connect with company recruiters.
- Younger users showcase involvement in clubs, causes, and other extracurricular activities.
- The “Side Hustlers” group reflects younger users with entrepreneurial side projects and gig work.
- Younger users are more likely to engage brands and causes they care about socially.
- Content sharing focuses on issues and passions vs. purely professional topics.
- With less work experience, some younger profiles emphasize skills over past job roles.
The career-oriented nature still provides value for younger generations starting to build professional presence and aspirations. And they help ensure continued relevance as LinkedIn’s member base ages.
What are the most popular industries and job functions on LinkedIn?
While well represented across many industries, LinkedIn penetration rates are highest among:
- Computer software – Extensive need for professional networking, recruitment, and partnerships.
- Internet and tech companies – Frequent job changes and emphasis on personal branding in tech.
- Banks and financial services – Connecting with clients and showcasing expertise are vital.
- Consulting services – LinkedIn enables identifying new business opportunities.
- Hospitals and healthcare – Critical for physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals to network.
- Nonprofits – Allows nonprofits to share missions, rally support, and attract talent.
By job function, LinkedIn adoption skews highest among:
- Sales – Prospecting, connecting with buyers, and sharing expertise are core activities for salespeople.
- Human Resources – Essential for recruiting, researching applicants, and employer branding.
- Marketing – Lead generation, thought leadership, and brand building make LinkedIn vital for marketers.
- Information Technology – IT pros tap into networking, job seeking, and skill-building resources.
- Operations – Enables operations professionals to discover new business opportunities.
The greater the need for building professional connections and knowledge sharing, the more value LinkedIn provides, driving increased adoption.
Conclusion
While new social networks and digital platforms arise, LinkedIn has retained a dominant position as the #1 professional social network. Core user demographics like recruiters, marketers, sales professionals, and others focused on career networking and development derive significant ongoing value from LinkedIn.
User numbers continue growing globally, topping 830 million in early 2022. Members spend time networking, managing their professional brands, participating in industry groups, learning new skills, and finding career opportunities. While some members are more passive, power users engage daily.
Younger generations are also joining and using LinkedIn to jumpstart careers after college or explore passions and side projects. For any professional audience a company wants to reach, LinkedIn remains an essential platform delivering huge scale.