Healthcare is emerging as one of the most consistent drivers of hiring in fast-growing US job markets, a trend clinical laboratory leaders may want to watch as they compete for medical laboratory scientists and technicians.
LinkedIn’s 2026 Cities on the Rise ranking identified 25 smaller and midsize metropolitan areas experiencing strong growth in hiring, job postings, and incoming workers. Hospitals and healthcare ranked among the top three industries hiring in 23 of the 25 metros on the list.
The pattern stretches across the country. Healthcare was a leading hiring industry in Augusta, Ga., which ranked first, as well as Richmond, Va.; Reno, Nev.; Sarasota, Fla.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Portland, Maine; Lancaster, Pa.; Indianapolis; Sacramento; Milwaukee; and Grand Rapids, Mich., among others. Major health systems also frequently appeared among the metros’ largest employers.
LinkedIn developed its ranking using anonymized data from millions of member profiles and job postings. Metro areas were evaluated based on year-over-year changes in hiring, job postings, and migration. The analysis covered data from March 2024 through February 2026.
Laboratory workers remain in demand
Although LinkedIn’s figures cover healthcare broadly, clinical laboratories are part of the workforce required to support expanding hospitals and healthcare systems.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects approximately 22,600 openings for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians each year on average from 2024 through 2034. Many of those openings will result from workers retiring, leaving the labor force, or moving into other occupations.
BLS reported that clinical laboratory technologists and technicians held about 351,200 jobs in 2024, with 37% working in private general medical and surgical hospitals and another 20% employed by medical and diagnostic laboratories.
Overall employment in the occupation is projected to grow just 2% through 2034. However, BLS expects an aging population and increased use of laboratory procedures—including genetic testing—to sustain demand for laboratory professionals even as automation limits some employment growth.
For clinical laboratory managers already struggling to recruit qualified personnel, LinkedIn’s findings suggest that competition for healthcare talent will remain particularly strong in many of the nation’s expanding metro markets.
This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.
