Employers head to Tier-II cities, but governance gaps may pare gains

Employers are betting on smaller cities - but without a governance model that keeps pace with economic change, the gains may not last

The geography of opportunity in India is slowly shifting. Tier-2 cities are fast emerging as the focal point of India’s next wave of urban and economic expansion. For decades, the country’s economic growth story has been shaped — and often symbolised — by large cities. Metropolises like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad became magnets for capital, talent, and infrastructure investment, transforming into dense engines of commerce and innovation. Yet this urban concentration has come at a price — congested roads, unaffordable housing, overstretched public services, and declining air quality have become defining features of life in these booming centres. This