Yes, it does. Because when you are hiring senior executives, you are searching for talent in a LinkedIn population where the vast majority of members are under 35.
It is important to understand the limitations of LinkedIn as a talent source when you are hiring for the management team, Country Manager, Managing Director, CEO, CFO, or another leadership position
According to recent data from NapoleonCat, LinkedIn has approximately 6.7 million users in Thailand, representing around 10% of the country’s population.
The demographics are revealing.
- Approximately 85% of LinkedIn members are below the age of 35.
- The largest user group is aged 25 to 34.
- Individuals aged 55 and above represent only around 1% of all LinkedIn members in Thailand.
For comparison, Facebook has approximately 51 million users in Thailand, and Instagram approximately 18 million.
What is particularly interesting is that LinkedIn’s age distribution has changed very little in recent years.
Despite continued growth in membership, the platform remains heavily concentrated among younger professionals.
This creates a challenge for employers seeking experienced leadership talent.
Most senior executives are not in their early thirties
The majority of CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Managing Directors, and Regional Directors are typically found in their forties, fifties, and sixties.
Yet these age groups represent only a small portion of Thailand’s LinkedIn population. Around 1% of all LinkedIn members in Thailand are 55 and above.
Senior executives remain underrepresented on LinkedIn compared with the broader professional workforce.
The challenge becomes even greater when user activity is considered.
How many are Daily Active Users?
According to research from The Social Shepherd, only around 16% of LinkedIn users are active on the platform daily.
This means that the practical audience available to recruiters is significantly smaller than the headline membership numbers suggest.
Many recruiters and employers assume that posting a job on LinkedIn provides access to the entire professional market. It does not.
In reality, many professionals have created a LinkedIn profile but rarely visit the platform.
What about abandoned LinkedIn profiles
Some profiles appear almost abandoned, with no profile photograph, no banner image, no recent activity, and very few connections.
Trying to engage with these individuals through LinkedIn messaging often produces little or no response.
This is one strong reason why executive search firms continue to play an important role in senior-level recruitment.
The most qualified executive for a leadership role may not be actively looking for a job, may not be active on LinkedIn, and may not even have a complete LinkedIn profile.
The lesson for employers is simple
The higher the position, the more likely it becomes that the best candidate will be found outside of the LinkedIn platform.
LinkedIn is an excellent tool. It is often the starting point for identifying talent.
However, it should not be mistaken for the entire talent market.
As recruiters, we need to remember that LinkedIn is a talent pool. But it is not the talent pool.
