Career concerned? Raleigh is a top 5 city in new report

Economic development leaders, from Chambers of Commerce to industrial recruiters, are always looking for data that helps them make a case to lure companies – and new talent. A report out today gives Raleigh a boost.

The City of Raleigh ranks No. 5 among major metro areas in the U.S. in a new report ranking which cities are best for careers and where people might relocate in order to advance their careers, citing lower crime, housing availability, quality of life, cost of living, career prospects and much more.

If Raleigh had more international flights out of Raleigh Durham International Airport and better overall healthcare, the city might have ranked even higher.

Robert Half, a talent management and recruitment firm’s “Career City Index” ranks the City of Oaks just behind:

No. 1 Seattle
No. 2 Boston
No. 3 San Francisco Bay area
No. 4 Washington, D.C.

“Which cities have the most potential for your career,” the report asks, “and would you be open to moving for the right job?”

Using data compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit (part of prestigious U.K.-based The Economist) concludes that Raleigh ranks:

No. 5 in quality of life
No. 8 in cost of living
No. 6 in community diversity
No. 14 in career prospects

Other data inside the report notes that Raleigh leads in two categories:

High rental vacancy rates
Low prevalence of violent crime
Second in projected population growth

But two areas helped keep Raleigh from ranking higher:

A No. 25 ranking in quality of healthcare
A No. 22 ranking in international flights

Civic an private sector leaders as well as RDU have made adding more international flights a top priority in economic development efforts.

Raleigh and the Triangle often ranking highly on “best of” reports such as places to work, to build a career, to retire, and for quality of life as well as cost of living. A reporter from WalletHub earlier this week, however, said Raleigh lags as a place where women own businesses.

Other highlights

The Capital City also scores well as a technology hub, given the presence of high-tech firms from Red Hat in downtown to IBM, Cisco and scores of others across the Research Triangle. What are described as “well developed” financial and insurance services add to the region’s appeal.

“The city’s inclusion in the ‘Research Triangle’ region — appropriately named after the three research institutions in the area: Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University — serves as a conduit for attracting businesses across sectors, which equates to a growing number of job opportunities,” the report says.

“Companies are taking advantage of the city’s educated workforce (47.8 percent of the population over age 25 holds a bachelor’s degree or higher) and pool of new university graduates.”

Willing to move

The survey discusses data that Robert Half says its survey of workers finds to be the most important considerations when mulling where to begin a professional career or move in pursuit of a better one.

“Most professionals,” it says, “are open to the idea of moving.”

Findings include:

67 percent are willing to move
37 percent believe a move would enhance their career
88 percent say a higher salary is the biggest reason to consider moving
61 percent are seeking a lower cost of living
39 percent of workers would like to be closer to friends and family

The report also notes:

Men ages 18-34 are “significantly more likely” to consider moving
Workers in the South and West are most likely to consider relocating
When it comes to salary, workers in the South as well as Northeast and Midwest are most likely to seek higher pay as a cause for moving
39 percent of both women and men consider being closer to family and friends as an important factor in considering relocation

Other cities

Charlotte scored No. 16 in the survey. Atlanta came in 15th.

The rest of the top 10: