The challenge of attracting and retaining young professionals in the current job market is an extraordinary and costly one for businesses. A recent Gallup poll found that more than half of Americans surveyed were looking to leave their jobs. That is bad news for companies that suffer an average loss of $121,000 in productivity and recruitment costs whenever an employee moves on. Complicating the scenario is a worldwide shortage of skilled professionals. How do you attract the right person, and then ensure that they'll stay?

Salary and benefits can only go so far. To keep highly skilled workers, a holistic approach is necessary. For that reason, businesses are putting strong support behind arts, cultural and civic activities in their communities. Lively, viable communities are a strong magnet in attracting talent. They provide an environment that makes employees want to put down roots.

According to Americans for the Arts, "Business support for the arts is driven…by a focus on how the arts impact the communities in which their employees live and work." Young professionals look hard at the communities in which they will live.

"When people talk to you about recruiting for jobs, they talk about the livability of the community" says Mark Neikirk, executive director of the Scripps-Howard Center for Civic Engagement at Northern Kentucky University.

The arts play a huge role in the livability of communities through strong and consistent philanthropy. That gives Cincinnati, where funding for the arts is a 100-plus-year-old tradition, a distinct edge in the competitive world of business. Supported by the generosity of Cincinnati businesses and individual contributions, ArtsWave has provided ongoing funding and seed money to more than 100 organizations and projects.

"The Arts plays an essential role in enabling P&G to attract and retain world-class talent with a diverse range of skills," says Procter & Gamble Chief Design Officer Phil Duncan, "These individuals have their picks of big cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco. They choose to live and work in Cincinnati because they can engage with the arts in a way they can't elsewhere."

Of young professionals surveyed across the Cincinnati region, 87% strongly agreed that our vibrant arts scene influences where they live and work. That's demonstrated in the success of groups like the Young Professionals Choral Collective. Since 2011, when a group of young professionals began gathering to sing in Over-the-Rhine's Below Zero Lounge, it has grown to become the largest YP choral group in the nation with more than 1,200 volunteer singers.

Jennifer Molano, a young professional who relocated to Cincinnati, discovered concert:nova soon after her move. "After seeing the innovation and creativity there, that really planted a root for me," she said. Molano is just one of many who have made connections to our region. concert:nova, founded in 2005, has "surpassed all of our expectations" in its number of subscribers, says the group's managing artistic director Ixi Chen.

These young professionals are making their home here and taking an active role in local communities, deepening their commitment to the area and, in turn, their employers.

"As home to the first professional baseball team in the nation," says P&G's Duncan, "I can say Cincinnati bats well beyond its size in the arts."The challenge of attracting and retaining young professionals in the current job market is an extraordinary and costly one for businesses. A recent Gallup poll found that more than half of Americans surveyed were looking to leave their jobs. That is bad news for companies that suffer an average loss of $121,000 in productivity and recruitment costs whenever an employee moves on. Complicating the scenario is a worldwide shortage of skilled professionals. How do you attract the right person, and then ensure that they'll stay?

Salary and benefits can only go so far. To keep highly skilled workers, a holistic approach is necessary. For that reason, businesses are putting strong support behind arts, cultural and civic activities in their communities. Lively, viable communities are a strong magnet in attracting talent. They provide an environment that makes employees want to put down roots.

According to Americans for the Arts, "Business support for the arts is driven…by a focus on how the arts impact the communities in which their employees live and work." Young professionals look hard at the communities in which they will live.

"When people talk to you about recruiting for jobs, they talk about the livability of the community" says Mark Neikirk, executive director of the Scripps-Howard Center for Civic Engagement at Northern Kentucky University.

The arts play a huge role in the livability of communities through strong and consistent philanthropy. That gives Cincinnati, where funding for the arts is a 100-plus-year-old tradition, a distinct edge in the competitive world of business. Supported by the generosity of Cincinnati businesses and individual contributions, ArtsWave has provided ongoing funding and seed money to more than 100 organizations and projects.

"The Arts plays an essential role in enabling P&G to attract and retain world-class talent with a diverse range of skills," says Procter & Gamble Chief Design Officer Phil Duncan, "These individuals have their picks of big cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco. They choose to live and work in Cincinnati because they can engage with the arts in a way they can't elsewhere."

Of young professionals surveyed across the Cincinnati region, 87% strongly agreed that our vibrant arts scene influences where they live and work. That's demonstrated in the success of groups like the Young Professionals Choral Collective. Since 2011, when a group of young professionals began gathering to sing in Over-the-Rhine's Below Zero Lounge, it has grown to become the largest YP choral group in the nation with more than 1,200 volunteer singers.

Jennifer Molano, a young professional who relocated to Cincinnati, discovered concert:nova soon after her move. "After seeing the innovation and creativity there, that really planted a root for me," she said. Molano is just one of many who have made connections to our region. concert:nova, founded in 2005, has "surpassed all of our expectations" in its number of subscribers, says the group's managing artistic director Ixi Chen.

These young professionals are making their home here and taking an active role in local communities, deepening their commitment to the area and, in turn, their employers.

"As home to the first professional baseball team in the nation," says P&G's Duncan, "I can say Cincinnati bats well beyond its size in the arts."