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Thenewsdose.com
Chandigarh,July 28,UPDAED:1.45PM
As India’s job market undergoes a significant transformation, the spotlight is slowly shifting from metro cities to rising non-metro hubs. While LinkedIn’s “Cities on the Rise 2025” list features names like Visakhapatnam, Raipur, and Nashik, similar growth trends are unfolding closer to home in Punjab and Haryana, where cities such as Mohali, Panchkula, Ludhiana, Ambala, and Karnal are fast becoming dynamic career destinations.
In sync with the nationwide trend of growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, Punjab and Haryana are witnessing rapid expansion in sectors like IT services, agritech, healthcare, education, and financial services. According to NASSCOM and state investment boards, over 15% of new tech-related jobs in North India between 2022-24 have originated from satellite cities in these two states.
Key Career Hubs on the Rise:
Mohali (SAS Nagar): Fast becoming a mini tech-hub, home to companies like Quark, Net Solutions, and Emersion Technologies. The city is also home to the Indian School of Business (ISB), Chandigarh campus.
Ludhiana: Traditionally an industrial powerhouse, it is now diversifying into fintech and health-tech, with startups and companies like Stanza Living and Dr. IT Group expanding operations.
Panchkula: Benefitting from proximity to Chandigarh and rapid development under Haryana’s startup policy, particularly in ed-tech and IT services.Hotspots #Job# Emerging Carrear
Ambala & Karnal: Witnessing increased hiring in agri-input technology, warehousing, and pharma services, spurred by proximity to Delhi-NCR and new industrial corridors.
Sectoral Growth: Tech, Healthcare & Finance Lead the Way
Just like HCLTech and Infosys drive hiring in Vijayawada and Madurai, Punjab and Haryana’s tech ecosystems are now being shaped by firms like:
NetSmartz, Winshuttle, and SmartData (Chandigarh-Mohali tri-city area)
WebHopers, Seasia Infotech (Panchkula, Zirakpur)
Hexaware & KocharTech (Amritsar, Ludhiana)
In healthcare and pharma, Ludhiana and Panchkula are emerging as satellite hiring zones for brands like Cipla, Fortis Healthcare, and Alkem, particularly in diagnostics and hospital administration.
Meanwhile, private banks like HDFC, Axis Bank, and ICICI are strengthening their retail and SME lending teams in Tier-2 cities like Patiala, Hisar, and Kurukshetra, offering fresh graduates and mid-career professionals exciting career growth close to home.
Business Development & Engineering Dominate Hiring Trends
In line with national patterns, business development and engineering roles are the most sought-after in Punjab and Haryana. Mohali and Panchkula are witnessing a hiring wave in IT sales, SaaS client servicing, and backend development.
According to TeamLease and local job portals like Shine.com, the demand for civil engineers, IT developers, and marketing professionals has surged by over 22% in 2024 compared to the previous year across these non-metro cities.
Infrastructure & Government Push Fuel Regional Momentum
The Smart Cities Mission and the AMRUT scheme are propelling growth in Ludhiana, Karnal, and Panipat. For instance:
Karnal’s Smart City project, with over ₹1,500 crore in investment, has improved urban mobility and citizen services, attracting fintech and agritech startups.
Ludhiana’s bicycle cluster modernization and upcoming pharma park are attracting new businesses and R&D ventures.
Haryana’s Startup Policy 2022 and Punjab’s Invest Punjab initiative are easing access to capital and incubation for local entrepreneurs—leading to the rise of homegrown unicorn-hopefuls in logistics, ed-tech, and health services.
A New Career Mindset: No Need to Move to Metros
Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn India’s Senior Managing Editor, aptly noted, “For many Indians, meaningful career progress no longer demands moving to a big city.” This is especially true for young professionals in Punjab and Haryana, who are increasingly choosing proximity to family, lower cost of living, and a better work-life balance.
A recent survey by LinkedIn and LocalCircles found that 76% of professionals under 30 in northern India would prefer to work in non-metro cities if given comparable salaries and growth opportunities.
Punjab & Haryana’s Rise Is Real
With talent returning from metros, infrastructure improving rapidly, and companies diversifying their locations, Punjab and Haryana are quickly catching up with national trends. Whether it’s an engineer in Mohali, a pharma sales lead in Ludhiana, or a fintech analyst in Panchkula, the new wave of career growth is closer than ever before—right at home.
