LinkedIn and UN Women join hands to create employment

Professional network LinkedIn has inked a deal with UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality to upskill women and create employment opportunities. The pilot project would run in Maharashtra.

After the 15-month pilot project, UN Women and LinkedIn will incorporate lessons learned and evaluate feedback to improve the programmes where necessary and then scale it up to other Asia-Pacific countries.

LinkedIn is investing $5,00,000 (Rs 3.88 crore) in a three-year regional partnership with UN Women, according to a press statement.

The pilot project on Maharashtra would cultivate the digital and employability skills of 2,000 women and present them with a range of career-building opportunities through job fairs, mentoring sessions and peer-to-peer networks.

The collaboration will digitally upskill women giving them greater access to jobs and equipping them to fully participate in the formal economy.

““As more businesses and professionals recognise the rewarding impact of gender-equal workplaces, we have the unique opportunity to help women become more employable and entrepreneurial in today’s digital era. By bringing women closer to the right skills and resources, we aspire to create a more equitable and all-inclusive talent landscape,” said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.

“Access to quality education is critical to decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women and girls. The aim of the LINK Women project, in partnership with LinkedIn, is to create a cadre of women who will acquire new digital and employability skills, leading to better jobs,” said Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women India.

According to the statement, the partnership will be guided by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a set of effective, actionable principles that guide businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Addressing gender-responsive policymaking in the Asia-Pacific region is crucial given that in Asia, 54.6 per cent of men have access to the internet, compared to 41.3 per cent of women. This represents a 32 per cent gender gap.

According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), between 2013 and 2017, the gender gap in Asia grew from 17 per cent to 24 per cent. Women and girls often do not have the same access to education, or type of education, as men and boys do, which sometimes leaves them with decreased digital skills, literacy, and consequently less economic opportunities in an increasingly digital world. In fact, the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 has only widened this opportunity gap for women and girls in the past two years.