iWorld
63% of enterprise professionals think employers will be better off a year from now
MUMBAI: LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, today announced the findings of the fifth edition of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of India’s workforce. Based on survey responses of 2,903 professionals in India, findings from the fortnight of 14 to 31 May reveal how executives with different professional backgrounds exhibit varied levels of confidence towards company outlook, personal finances, and remote working.
This fortnight’s LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index shows that while India’s overall confidence remains steady with a composite score of +49, the country’s confidence in jobs is beginning to trend downward. The report also states that professionals from healthcare, manufacturing and corporate service industries are more likely to anticipate a decrease in personal spending and personal investments in the next six months.
Findings of this fortnight also bisect India’s composite workforce confidence score into Individual Confidence Index (ICI) and Confidence in Employer Index (CIE). The Individual Confidence Index indicates how professionals feel about their ability to leverage economic opportunities available to them, and the Confidence In Employer Index points to how professionals feel about the future of their employers. This new addition comes at a time when India is beginning to ‘unlock’ and reboot its business landscape.
Here are this fortnight’s key findings:
● Enterprise professionals most confident about the future of their employers:
With a CIE score of +24, employees at large enterprises – companies with 10,000+ workers – are more confident about the future of their employers when compared to their peers from mid-market (+15) and SMB (+16) companies. Reaffirming this optimism, findings further show that 41 per cent of enterprise professionals think their companies will do better in the next six months, while 63 per cent think their companies will be better off one year from now. However, this confidence of professionals from larger enterprises fades when it comes to individual confidence, as ICI scores show that enterprise professionals (+42) are least confident about the future of their jobs, finances and careers, when compared to their SMB (+51) and mid-market (+50) peers.
● Healthcare, manufacturing and corporate service industries least optimistic about personal finances: With India’s continued focus on social distancing, people are expected to control their discretionary spending, despite improved access to resources. Findings reaffirm this trend as two in five employees in manufacturing (38 per cent), corporate services (40 per cent) and healthcare (45 per cent) will decrease personal spending in the next six months. Findings also show that 52 per cent of healthcare, 48 per cent of corporate services, and 41 per cent of manufacturing professionals anticipate a decrease in investments in the next six months.
● 40 per cent of the Indian workforce anticipates fewer jobs and interviews in the immediate future: As the Indian workforce navigates a shrinking job market, two in five (40 per cent) professionals believe that the number of jobs and scheduled interviews will decrease in the next two weeks. The news comes as bittersweet for Indian professionals, as more than one in three Indian professionals state that they will now spend more time working on their resumes and preparing for interviews. Findings also show India’s consistent focus on upskilling as 67 per cent of the Indian workforce state that they will continue to increase time spent online learning.
● Marketing, project management, and engineering professionals confident about the effectiveness of remote working: Over the past three months, many organisations have shifted to a remote working model to circumvent the pandemic and ensure business continuity. This fortnight’s findings show that three in five (61 per cent) marketing professionals feel confident about being effective when working remotely. They are joined by more than half of project management (56 per cent) and engineering (54 per cent) professionals, who are also confident about the effectiveness of remote working. In contrast to this optimism, only 39 per cent of HR, 36 per cent of finance, and 31 per cent of education professionals think they would be effective when working remotely.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
