No Odisha city features on LinkedIn’s fastest-growing Indian cities for jobs, career growth

No Odisha city features in LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise 2025' list, highlighting India's top emerging hubs for job growth, with Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand making notable entries.

Why are Odisha’s twin cities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack so hot and humid?

Bhubaneswar skyline

time

Not a single city from Odisha has found a place on LinkedIn’s newly released ‘Cities on the Rise 2025’ list, which highlights India’s top 10 emerging urban hubs for job growth and professional migration.

The list curated by one of the world’s leading job platforms is even more disheartening for Odisha, especially as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has two entries with Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Ranchi from Jharkhand feature in the ranking.

The report, published by LinkedIn News India and compiled by the platform’s Economic Graph team, uses internal data between March 2023 and February 2025 to identify cities showing strong growth in hiring activity, professional relocations, and employment momentum.

Notably, it excludes metros with more than 1 million LinkedIn users to focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, driving India’s next wave of economic activity.

The 10 Fastest-Growing Cities for Careers in India (2025)

According to LinkedIn, these are the cities leading India’s next wave of economic and employment growth:

  • Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) – A rising tech and pharmaceutical hub.

  • Ranchi (Jharkhand) – Transforming into a retail and corporate destination.

  • Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) – Attracting IT and infrastructure investments.

  • Nashik (Maharashtra) – Expanding into IT and data services.

  • Raipur (Chhattisgarh) – Seeing major investments in AI and semiconductors.

  • Rajkot (Gujarat) – Growing through green MSME and industrial development.

  • Agra (Uttar Pradesh) – Blending heritage with new manufacturing zones.

  • Madurai (Tamil Nadu) – Emerging as a tech and agri-tech innovation centre.

  • Vadodara (Gujarat) – Strengthening job markets in pharma and engineering.

  • Jodhpur (Rajasthan) – Gaining ground as a startup and corporate magnet.

Why These Cities Stand Out

These cities have benefited from a mix of local policy reforms, upgraded infrastructure, cost-effective living, and targeted industry investment.

Hiring momentum was especially strong in IT, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Companies such as HCLTech, Tata Consultancy Services, Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Jindal Steel & Power are among the top recruiters driving these trends.

Also Read | India’s biggest IT Giant TCS set to axe 12,000 employees; here’s why

The report attributes this shift to improved infrastructure, affordability, local government support, and expanding sectoral footprints. It also notes that the cost of living in these cities remains lower than in traditional metros, contributing to rising relocation trends among young professionals and mid-career talent.

While Odisha’s cities did not make the cut, the report implies that Tier 2 and Tier 3 centres are now leading India's employment growth, with implications for future urban planning, investment priorities, and workforce distribution for cities like Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, and Berhampur.

Next story