Today's top young professionals are in a constant process of job hunting and networking. On average, they leave their jobs after only 28 months of employment in search of higher paying positions.

According to research recently published in Harvard Business Review, three-quarters of young high achievers—average age 30—send resumes, contact job agencies, and interview for other positions during their first year of employment. Nearly all regularly engage in job-search activities such as updating resumes and seeking information on possible future employers.

With each job change, young employees make measureable salary gains. This is a change from previous generations in which workers who job-hopped often lost out in terms of promotions and financial increases.

A lack of training and development leaves many young professionals dissatisfied with their current employers and contributes to their desire to continue a job search. According to survey respondents, employers generally provide on-the-job development and significant increases in responsibility, but do not contribute much in the way of formal development—training, mentoring, and coaching—which young professionals value.

Some employers struggle with the vicious cycle an investment in training can create: Companies are reluctant to invest in formal training because workers might leave, and workers leave because they don't get training. By offering promising young managers a more balanced menu of development opportunities, employers might boost their inclination to stick around.