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Non-metro cities in the country are witnessing the strongest jobs momentum, as per ‘Cities on the Rise’ list released by professional networking platform.

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LinkedIn determined the ranking of the 10 cities by identifying areas experiencing the strongest job market momentum and more workers moving in versus out.

New Delhi: Non-metros such as Visakhapatnam, Ludhiana, Surat, Vadodara and Prayagraj lead the list of emerging hubs of job market activity, according to LinkedIn.

The second edition of ‘Cities on the Rise’ list released by the professional networking platform features 10 non-metro cities in the country witnessing the strongest job market momentum. The platform’s research also revealed that the number of applicants per open role has more than doubled since early 2022.

In addition, 72% of professionals in India are actively looking for a new role this year, while 76% say the search has become harder amid greater competition and widening skill gaps linked to artificial intelligence (AI).

“Against this backdrop, emerging cities are giving professionals access to a wider range of industries, employers, and career pathways closer to home,” LinkedIn said in a statement.

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“This year’s list shows how India’s growth story is becoming more distributed, with emerging cities building serious, multi-sector job markets of their own. Legacy industries in these cities are being joined by technology, financial services, infrastructure, and services,” said Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn career expert. “For job seekers, that means location should become a more active part of career planning.”

Visakhapatnam is combining its port, pharma and manufacturing economy with major AI, data centre and technology investments, while Ludhiana is adding steel aviation, and hospitality to its manufacturing base.

“Surat is extending beyond textiles and diamonds through startups, exports, and real estate, as Vadodara attracts technology, engineering, and enterprise investment alongside chemicals and machinery,” LinkedIn said. “Vijayawada is following a similar path, with rising interest from IT and e-governance companies adding to its commercial economy.”

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IT services and technology consulting feature among the top three hiring industries in all 10 cities, while banking and financial services feature in eight.

Companies including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Group entities, HCLTech, Tata Consultancy Services and Concentrix are adding scale to these local job markets, “while leading universities Banaras Hindu University, Lovely Professional University, KL University, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad are strengthening both jobs and talent supply”, LinkedIn said.

LinkedIn determined the ranking of the 10 cities by identifying areas experiencing the strongest job market momentum and more workers moving in versus out, according to the statement.

Top 10 Indian ‘Cities on the Rise’: LinkedIn

• Visakhapatnam
• Ludhiana
• Surat
• Vadodara
• Prayagraj
• Rajkot
• Jabalpur
• Ranchi
• Raipur
• Vijayawada