While the rest of the nation wallows in sour economic news, the job situation in Greater Cleveland looks relatively rosy based on the latest report from one of the world’s largest career search listing Web sites (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Monster: why Cleveland is avoiding downturn
ARTICLE UPDATED OCT. 14 WITH QUOTE FROM SHAH
Each new national job report and economic indicator this year shows the nation’s economy is slowing down. But it doesn’t seem that way yet here in Greater Cleveland, where new apartment buildings are going up, there’s more traffic on the roads and more new restaurants and stores opening. So why the difference?
Because, according to job and career search Web site Monster.com, Greater Cleveland was one of the nation’s fastest growing job markets in the third quarter of 2025. The Q3 2025 Monster Job Market Report ranked Greater Cleveland as the 11th-best hiring hot spot in the United States.
The ranking is based on unique job postings and a city had to have at least 7,000 unique job postings to appear on the 15-city list. Cleveland was also Ohio’s hottest job market, edging out Columbus which came in 12th nationwide. Tops on the list was Tacoma, WA.
Why did Cleveland rank so highly? Consider what sectors are hiring, according to postings on Monster — healthcare, truck/delivery drivers and sales/customer service representatives, noted Vicki Salemi, a careers expert at Monster, one of the world’s largest job listings Web sites.
Greater Cleveland is a healthcare powerhouse and a top draw for healthcare professionals. There is every reason to believe it will continue, with Cleveland Clinic in the midst of a massive capital construction campaign. Its new Neurological Institute alone is a 1-million-square-foot, $1.1 billion facility rising on Carnegie Avenue at East 89th Street.
The Clinic and various partners are also investing $172 million in renovating and expanding the Cole Eye Institute, $500 million for The Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research, $150 million to expand Fairview Hospital, $340 million to double the size of its Avon Hospital and $100 million to construct the Global Peak Performance Center downtown.
Greater Cleveland just missed ranking in the nation’s top-10 hiring hot spots, but it edged out Columbus as the best large job market in Ohio with at least 7,000 unique job listings (Monster).
And in Cleveland, the medical community is tied in with the educational community, creating its largest, fastest-growing employment sector. It’s why projects like Case Western Reserve University’s $300 million Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Building are happening — because they’re tied into successful research programs already underway.
“This is the latest in a string of national reports that feature Cleveland’s job market, especially for young professionals,” said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “As an example, the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) featured the region as one of the Top 20 hot jobs markets — and top five in Midwest — for young professionals, for the second straight year.”
Shah said businesses across the region, large and small, are continuing to grow, leveraging technology for innovating and operating.
“We see this across a diverse set of industries — health care, materials, manufacturing, energy, finance, insurance, and professional services,” Shah told NEOtrans. “Talent is our primary growth challenge now.”
Salemi noted that the employment geography is shifting from some high-volume hubs where job growth cooled quarter-over-quarter. Meanwhile secondary markets like Cleveland gained momentum, she said.
So here are the top-10 job titles most often posted by employers: registered nurse, physical therapist, truck driver, sales representative, radiology technician/technology, speech-language pathologist, deliver driver, respiratory therapist, occupational therapist, and customer service representative.
University Circle is Greater Cleveland’s most potent economic engine, where thousands of new jobs are available and billions of dollars of new construction are happening at any given time (NEOtrans).
Meanwhile, the top job title searches by candidates are software engineering/development, data and analytics, customer service and call center, administrative/office support, plus warehouse and logistics.
Salemi noted the disconnect between what jobs people were seeking, such as software development versus what employers were prioritizing, namely healthcare.
What job postings saw the highest growth of 10 percent or more, in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the second quarter? They were protective/security service, sales, healthcare practitioners, community and social service, along with education and training.
Salemi also had advice for job seekers — a majority of hiring leaders are reporting longer time-to-hire than two years ago, so job seekers should continue to expect more steps and slower cycles.
“The slower hiring life cycle doesn’t mean it’s not happening, it’s just delayed as employers do their due diligence,” she wrote. “It’s important for a job seeker to be consistent with their job search efforts and to focus on what they can control.”
NEOtrans recently reported new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which showed that Greater Cleveland’s workforce and number of employed people have grown to the highest levels since the start of the Great Recession (2009-11).
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