Forget Sydney.
New data suggests more professionals are turning to Greater Newcastle as one of Australia's best places to build a career, with the Hunter ranked among the nation's fastest-rising job markets.
Ranked fourth in the fastest-rising cities for career opportunities by LinkedIn this week, the region is no longer just attracting sea-changers, it's attracting people looking for six-figure salaries.
Business Hunter chief executive Bob Hawes said major investment in renewable energy, defence, construction, health and infrastructure has created more managerial and specialist roles paying upwards of $180,000 a year.
"This is attractive to young professionals who want challenging work and a good income without the high living costs and work-life balance compromises that come with living in capital cities," Mr Hawes said.
"So we are seeing strong migration from capital cities, as indicated by the quarterly Regional Movers Index, but importantly it also helps us to keep home-grown talent here in the region."
LinkedIn's Cities on the Rise data placed Greater Newcastle fourth behind Hobart, Darwin and Rockhampton after analysing hiring growth, new job openings and talent migration.
Projects like the High Speed Rail development phase are drawing interest, as are jobs in defence, manufacturing, health and education and Mr Hawes said mines are still forecasting strong demand for their product.
Business owners have told Business Hunter the hardest roles to fill are those needing high-level education, significant experience and techical qualifications.
But, the trend is not universal.
While employers compete for experienced engineers, project managers and technical specialists, Mr Hawes said some lower-skilled and customer-facing sectors are now oversupplied as cost-of-living pressures hit household spending.
Mr Hawes said the region's biggest challenge will be making sure it does not lose its competitive edge due to housing prices, a lack of transport connectivity and the creeping cost-of-living which is starting to "diminish" the Hunter's advantage over capital cities.
LinkedIn career expert Brendan Wong said its data comes as workers are rethinking what makes a city worth moving to.
"Beyond salary, factors like affordability, career progression, workplace flexibility and overall quality of life are becoming just as important in determining whether a relocation is truly worthwhile," Mr Wong said.
After Greater Newcastle, the cities that ranked the next highest were Greater Adelaide, Greater Albury-Wodonga, Greater Brisbane, Gold Coast, Greater Canberra and Wollongong.
