Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada Among Fastest-growing Non-metro Hubs

Vijayawada: LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has come up with a ‘Cities on the Rise’ list, with spotlight on the top 10 cities in India where the job market as well as economic opportunities are steadily growing.

As per the list, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, in first and third slots, are among the top three fastest-growing non-metro hubs where professional opportunities are accelerating.

The following is the list of LinkedIn’s Cities on the Rise 2025 for India: 1 Visakhapatnam, 2 Ranchi, 3 Vijayawada, 4 Nashik, 5 Raipur, 6 Rajkot, 7 Agra, 8 Madurai, 9 Vadodara and 10 Jodhpur.

Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn Career Expert stated in a release on Tuesday that Cities on the Rise was LinkedIn’s first location-based ranking powered by exclusive LinkedIn data that captured the growth in hiring, job creation and talent inflows across India.

With over 4 out of 5 Indian professionals looking to switch jobs this year, Cities on the Rise offers direction into regions beyond traditional major cities where economic investments are generating employment opportunities. The list highlights emerging tier-2 and tier-3 growth pockets for professionals looking to relocate, tap into new industries, or grow their careers locally.

Nirajita Banerjee said, “Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are at the heart of India’s economic transformation. With Vishakhapatnam growing into an industrial powerhouse and Vijayawada drawing investments from the IT sector, these cities are emerging as hubs of employment and talent movement.”

“Professionals from in and around the state can now pursue opportunities and career growth locally, while navigating new possibilities and finding new passions where they are.”

Stating that tech, pharma, financial services are turning emerging cities into talent magnets, Banerjee stated that amidst the boom in data and AI, tech companies like Miracle Software Systems, Inc (Vishakhapatnam), HCLTech (Vijayawada, Madurai), Infosys (Vijayawada, Datamatics (Nashik), Bull IT Services (Madurai), among others, are setting up shop across tier-2 and tier-3 cities, fuelling local talent activity.

Healthcare and pharma companies like Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Laurus Labs Ltd, Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Sun Pharma are creating opportunities in Vishakhapatnam and Vadodara, while HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are accelerating the growth of financial services in Raipur, Agra and Jodhpur.

Stating that engineering roles lead the hiring surge in Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada, Banerjee said, most job opportunities for professionals in Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Madurai are emerging in the engineering sector. Business development roles drive hiring in 6 out 10 cities on the rise, including Nashik, Raipur, Rajkot, Agra, Vadodara and Jodhpur.

Sales, operations and education are other key functions where professionals in tier-2 and tier-3 cities can look for jobs.