More than three in five Indian professionals will increase their time spent on online learning, according to LinkedIn's third Workforce Confidence Index.

Based on survey findings of 2,323 respondents, the survey shows India's cautious optimism towards future opportunities with a composite score of +50 (a rolling average of weeks April 13-19 and April 27-May 3).

The fortnight's Confidence Index say that Indian professionals are increasing their time spent on online learning as a response to remote working, a shrinking job market, the need for upskilling, and the need to stay mindful through these challenging times.

Survey results observed 60% of Indian professionals want to gain more industry knowledge, 57% want to learn how they can advance in their careers, and 45% want to better their communication capabilities through online learning.

The need to balance job responsibilities with household chores has left the Indian workforce yearning for efficient planning as findings show that 43% of Indian professionals want to learn better time management, stay organized, and prioritize better. Findings further state that it is not always about professional learning as 40% of Indians say they want to learn something interesting and unrelated to their line of work, while 30% wish to improve their emotional well-being.

"A diverse set of skills can take you a long way in this uncertain climate, therefore upskilling has emerged as the need of the hour and it is encouraging to see Indian professionals leverage online learning to navigate the challenges. Our LinkedIn Learning data also shows that time spent in viewing LinkedIn Learning content by Indian professionals has jumped up  by 176% in the past two months, and 'remote work foundations' and 'strategic thinking' are some of the top courses they are looking at. We have also made more than 275 LinkedIn Learning courses free globally to help members develop transferable skills, become resilient, and adapt to the changing business landscape with ease," said Ruchee Anand, Director, LinkedIn Talent and Learning Solutions, India.