RIYADH/JEDDAH — One of the world's largest professional network on the Internet with more than 347 million members, has marked an exciting milestone with the launch of its Arabic version. The launch of Arabic — the first bi-directional language on LinkedIn —brings the total number of languages available to 24. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a fast growing region for LinkedIn, growing from five million members in October 2012 when the company opened their local office in Dubai, to more than 14 million today. Eng. Adel M. Fakeih, Saudi Arabia's minister of labor, said: “LinkedIn has been working with us to match talent in the Kingdom with the right opportunity, and with Arabic, this benefit can be rolled-out to a much wider member base. LinkedIn will continue to be a useful tool for us as we use technology to communicate the need for nationals to up-skill themselves and take advantage of the strong economic climate and significant job-creation in the Kingdom. Being a part of a global network also helps youth identify the key demand areas, and build their qualifications accordingly.” “We already have more than 14 million members here in the MENA region using LinkedIn in English. The launch of an Arabic version will provide a more relevant experience to our members and customers in the region,” said Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA Talent Solutions. “This will open up opportunities for hundreds of millions of Arabic speaking professionals to connect and engage with other professionals and employers across the world, and for companies to find and attract the best talent, connect their brand with our audience, and engage with their customers,” Matar added. “LinkedIn is an increasingly major part of our talent strategy in the region, and we congratulate them on the launch of the Arabic version. In Saudi Arabia, connecting talent with the right opportunity is a priority driven by Government and the private sector, and the changing competitive landscape has placed a premium on quality talent. We look forward to driving more of our talent and customer engagement, and deriving more benefit, from our presence and activity on LinkedIn,” commented Amjad Shacker, STC Corporate Communication general manager. New members can now sign up for LinkedIn in Arabic by visiting the site and registering a new account. LinkedIn members who have been using the site in English can switch their language settings to Arabic, should they wish to do so, by following this link [linkd.in/changelanguage] — SG
