Advance your career

LinkedIn’s Vision for an Economic Graph: A Conversation With Jeff Weiner and Thomas Friedman

The New York Times Next New World Conference

Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for New York Times

Earlier this month, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner had an opportunity to sit down with Thomas Friedman, columnist for the New York Times, at the Next New World conference in San Francisco. They discussed LinkedIn’s evolution from a Professional Graph to an Economic Graph, a digital mapping of the global economy. A few highlights from the conversation are below:

How LinkedIn members’ actions help build the Economic Graph: LinkedIn profiles are evolving from digital resumes into full-fledged portfolios. Making your profile more comprehensive and adding not just descriptions but work product itself will help you gain exposure to opportunities that are the most relevant to you, from jobs and volunteer opportunities to professional connections, investors and more. (watch at: 5:35)

The crisis of youth unemployment: Youth-based unemployment in Greece and Spain is higher than 50%. In the US, youth unemployment is twice as high as the general unemployment rate. In time, the Economic Graph and its detailed map of the jobs market will be able to help address this problem directly. Data from the graph will enable institutions to educate students for the careers of the future and not the jobs of the past. Whole programs and syllabi can be course corrected in anticipation of upcoming economic needs, so students graduate with the skills the job market demands. (watch at: 8:25)

The reality of skills gaps: Computing related jobs in California outnumber annual Computer Science grads by 16:1. The skills gap stretches beyond tech fields, too: our economy has an abundance of open positions for teachers, nurses and others. The Economic Graph will target these gaps by quantifying them in detail, so educators and employees can address them more directly. (watch at 11:20)

You can watch the full interview here:

Follow the Economic Graph Showcase Page for news and stories about LinkedIn’s evolution, the future of jobs and the global economy.