Professional networking site LinkedIn has “absolutely transformed” the recruitment industry, serial recruitment entrepreneur James Caan said yesterday at a celebration of the platform’s achieving 20m members in the UK.

Caan was identified at the event as a “power profile” in the leaders category on LinkedIn, along with global recruiter Hays’ chief executive Alistair Cox and entrepreneur and businessman Richard Branson. With 2.5m followers currently on LinkedIn worldwide, Caan admitted to the audience: “Two years ago, I didn’t know what a blog was.”

When he posts his blogs now, he said, “within 30 seconds, thousands of people are giving an opinion”.

Referring to the industry in which he built the first stage of his fortune, Caan said: “Recruitment is an industry I love and I think LinkedIn has absolutely transformed the industry.” 

Acknowledging that some recruiters are wary of the platform and the impact of social media upon their work, he added: “I would urge that rather than fighting change, embrace it.” 

The 20m LinkedIn members in the UK represent 58% of the entire UK workforce, including students. Students are now a major target for membership on LinkedIn, which has grown by nearly 17m in the UK since 2009.

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