About
Young Professional Organizations, like Fuse, play a critical role in communities’ efforts to attract and retain talent.
- YPOs Help Stem Brain Drain- One of the key questions young people ask when moving to a community is, “Will I fit in?” Communities with Young Professionals Organizations have a ready response. Most YPOs are founded with the express intention to help young professionals connect to each other and to the community.
- YPOs Cultivate Future Leaders- Let’s face it; the boardrooms in many of our communities are filled with people who have “been there and done that.” YPOs are preparing a new generation to lead with vision and passion, and to refuel those boardrooms with new energy and initiatives. Many YPOs offer rigorous professional and board development training to their members. And when YPs feel they can make a difference in their community, they are 2-3 times as likely to stay.
With an estimated 75,000 job openings in our area in the coming decade, we're working hard to help attract and retain the kind of talent and ingenuity that outstanding young professionals of every stripe bring to the table.
Fuse makes great strides to help current and potential residents of our outstanding community find a place. We offer YPs the chance to mingle with other YPs at our events. Fuse also holds educational events that enable people from all different backrounds and professional lives to come together and learn about specific areas of concern for our community.
The next generation has a “Live First work second” ethic. Unlike their parents, the next generation does not simply follow the paycheck or the company. Often, they pick a place to live and then find a job. U.S. cities must develop and emphasize the quality-of-life amenities, i.e. the arts, public parks and trails, a strong after-5 scene, that attract the next generation. That is exactly what Fuse does-- we elevate our community and our young people, and help get the word out about what an incomparable place we live in.
What are the consequence if Young Professionals leave the area?
While many Fusers plan to stay in the community, a sizable minority (13%) plan to leave in the near future: 8% plan to stay for only 1-4 years, and 5% plan to leave within the next year. What kind of impact could this have on the community?
Using a standard economic impact calculator of 1.2 we can see that when a YP leaves Duluth, it makes a $60,360 impact per person. In other words, Duluth will lose an average of $60,360 for each young professional who leaves. With 13% of young professionals planning to leave within 4 years, and a population of 23,800 young professionals total, Duluth stands to lose approximately $187 million over the next 4 years.
Most Fusers are infact Transplants. These transplants make up 52% of the Fuse poplutation. Being that a little over half of Fusers are transplants, we can definitly see that Fuse is truely a beneficial peice to the Duluth Community and with a bit of luck and continued support from our community, Fuse will continue to grow and bring in new young talent.
