LinkedIn CEO sees growth outside US, with India leading amid headwinds

LinkedIn Chief Executive Officer Ryan Roslansky is gearing up for growth for the social-networking site in markets such as India, even as it prepares for economic headwinds more broadly by pausing hiring.

India has become LinkedIn’s fastest-growing market as more companies and advertisers come online, with sales in the country rising at a 50% year-on-year clip, Roslansky told Bloomberg TV on Thursday on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore. “What’s going to happen in the next 10 years in India is being written right now,” he said.

The business networking service owned by Microsoft Corp. is looking abroad for new growth opportunities as the worsening economic climate weighs on its US home market. He said LinkedIn has paused hiring to prepare for tougher conditions.

The majority of LinkedIn’s growth is happening outside of the United States, he said, adding that new members are joining the networking site in markets such as India, Indonesia and Western Europe.