NEW YORK - Time published an op-ed by Jamaal Glenn on how cities around the world can compete for an increasingly mobile workforce.
The shift to remote work weakened the link between a job and a single office location. Glenn argued that this created an opening for smaller cities and regions, but that attracting workers requires more than advertising or a one-time relocation payment.
The piece makes a practical case for responsive housing supply, accessible transportation, social infrastructure, and the amenities that allow newcomers to build real lives. It draws on cities across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America to show that the contest for talent is global.
Glenn also emphasized that remote-worker programs should benefit existing residents rather than treat them as scenery. A city that attracts higher-income newcomers without expanding housing or strengthening public systems can deepen the very pressures that make a place less livable.
The op-ed connects economic development to everyday urban experience: people stay where they can afford a home, move around reliably, form relationships, and see a path to belonging.
About Jamaal Glenn
Jamaal Glenn is an executive, investor, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and board director. He is Chief Financial Officer of SoLo Funds and founder and CEO of JG Holdings. He chairs The Pivot Fund and serves as a board director, treasurer, and audit committee chair at LION Publishers.