Ludhiana has grabbed the second spot in the list of 10 non-metro cities in India that are becoming the fastest-growing job markets, according to LinkedIn’s latest ‘Cities on the Rise’ report.The report highlighted that Visakhapatnam tops the list, followed by Ludhiana, Surat, Vadodara and Prayagraj, thus confirming that the job landscape of India  is no longer limited to the IT campuses of Bengaluru, the glass towers of Gurugram, or the trading floors of Mumbai.Ten non-metropolitan locations with the best employment market momentum were identified in the second edition of the professional networking site’s report. According to the list, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Raipur, and Vijayawada complete the list.According to LinkedIn’s data, the number of applications for each available position has more than quadrupled since the beginning of 2022, suggesting that the job market is becoming more competitive.The report noted that 72 per cent of Indian professionals are actively seeking a new position this year, and 76 per cent believe the hunt has gotten harder due to increased competition and growing skill shortages related to artificial intelligence.It further stated that workers may now access a greater variety of industries, jobs and career pathways closer to home due to emerging cities. This development is indicative of the nation’s more dispersed growth story.The paper claims that technology, financial services, infrastructure and services are progressively supplementing these cities’ legacy sectors.Visakhapatnam is integrating its manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and port industries with large investments in technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence. In the meantime, Ludhiana is diversifying its economy by including steel, aviation and hospitality in addition to its manufacturing foundation.Furthermore, companies including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Group entities, HCLTech, Tata Consultancy Services, and Concentrix are expanding these local employment markets. IThe report added that top universities, including as Banaras Hindu University, Lovely Professional University, KL University, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, are bolstering the talent pipeline and job prospects in these locations.