Why LinkedIn says job seekers should look to Nashville, other mid-size cities

Yahoo

17-07-2025

For job seekers and switchers, 2025 is shaping up to be the year to watch.
That's according to a new ranking of "Cities on the Rise" by LinkedIn, which dubbed Nashville one of the top 10 emerging cities for job creation and economic momentum.
"The idea is to highlight emerging cities where professionals are finding opportunity and affordability, which I think is important in the changing labor market," said LinkedIn Senior Managing News Editor for Jobs and Career Development Andrew Seaman.
Data from the report shows nearly three in five people globally plan to look for a new job this year, but Seaman said competition is fierce. The number of applications submitted on LinkedIn has surged more than 45% in the past year, with an average of 11,000 job applications per minute.
Nashville is one of those cities with a confluence of job creation, career opportunities, interest from job seekers and hot competition in the labor market. It ranks No. 9 on LinkedIn's list.
The city's labor market has benefitted from corporate expansions and headquarters relocations, including Oracle's high-profile headquarters, which is expected to add more than 8,000 jobs.
Grand Rapids, Michigan took the top spot on the list among several other small and midsize cities like Boise, Idaho (No. 2), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (No. 3) and Albany, New York (No. 4).
Seaman said these smaller cities are gaining favor for both job seekers and employers because they have some momentum and a lot of room to grow. It's a trend that has picked up speed following labor market changes in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Thinking back to the pandemic, I think people felt less wedded to a location," Seaman said. "It got them thinking, 'OK, I don't have to do this job here.' So I think the pandemic sort of shook people loose."
Now, nearly half of U.S. workers live a significant distance from the city they grew up, with many people citing career growth as a motivating factor in this choice. Overall, workers are more willing than in the past to move from place to place to progress in their career, and smaller and mid-size cities with job growth have benefitted from that.
LinkedIn Top 10 "Cities on the Rise"
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Boise, Idaho
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Albany, New York
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Portland, Maine
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Hartford, Connecticut
Nashville, Tennessee
Omaha, Nebraska
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville ranks highly for 2025 job seekers, switchers, LinkedIn says
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