Location, Location, Location

Everyone is wondering where the next big job market boom will take place. Will it be on the East Coast or the West? Will it be in an already established metropolitan area or one that is up-and-coming? These questions often revolve around the instability of many industries. Fields that were once relevant have become obsolete. Technology has taken over, shaken up the way corporations conduct business and left many job seekers in a state of confusion. However, rather than focusing too heavily on how businesses are affecting regions and fields, job seekers may want to focus on how cities are affecting jobs.

For the first time ever, more than half of the world's population is living in urban regions, according to The United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report. That is a significant amount of people who all want to find employment at the leading firms. It may come as a surprise, but cities have more of an influence on the job market than most may think.

Certain areas are known for their expertise in a specific industry. New York City is a financial giant, Chicago has an expansive amount of advertising jobs and transportation is huge in Houston. These areas attract people and companies who are interested in becoming a part of those industries. The influx of both job seekers and new business owners create industry clusters in these areas, which allow smaller organizations the opportunity to feed off of the success seen by bigger establishments.

Chicago, for example, is known for its advertising firms. Professionals who want to implement a promotional campaign for their businesses may look to partner with an agency in Chicago simply because of its location. The firm these professionals choose to work with may not even be any more talented than a firm found in New Jersey, but location matters, and Chicago firms just may be more appealing.

Job seekers and employers want to be on the cutting edge of design and business practices. While it may not be a financially sound idea to relocate, moving to an area with focus on specific industries can be appealing to many. Job seekers who want to find employment in advertising should not hesitate to move to Chicago if they can afford to. Businesses have a harder time moving around, but if work is not materializing even setting up a sister office may be a worthwhile move to make today.

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