Figuratively Speaking

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics' JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) report for July 2015, total number of job openings in the United States, a record high since the Labor Department started tracking the data in December 2000: 5.75 million

Percentage of all employer-employee separations -- including layoffs, firings, etc. -- that involved an employee quitting, also known as the "take this job and shove it" indicator: 57.1

Highest percentage recorded since the end of the Great Recession, reported in January 2015: 57.5

Currently, average number of years workers spend at a job: 2.6

Source: Convergex.

Number of times their final annual pay at retirement (age 65) that the average worker will need to have saved to keep a pre-retirement lifestyle, according to Aon Hewitt's analysis of 77 large U.S. employers, representing 2.1 million employees: 11

According to the analysis, percentage of workers who are on track to meet or exceed their needs in retirement at age 65: 20

Source: Aon Hewitt.

Percentage of workers who admitted they've had an office bully, according to research from the staffing firm OfficeTeam: 35

Percentage of HR managers who said they think workplace bullying happens at least somewhat often at their company: 27

When employees were asked how they responded to a bully, percentage who stated they confronted the person: 32

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of American adults who have begun their holiday shopping, according to a new survey by CreditCards.com: 14

Percentage of Americans who said they plan to start shopping earlier this year compared to last year: 15

Percentage of all consumers -- or about 4.6 million people -- who have already finished their holiday shopping: 2

Source: Creditcards.com.

Percentage of respondents who say they're all for a quick kiss hello when greeting a friend, according to a Skout survey: 61

Percentage of men who kiss when saying hello: 64

Percentage of women who do the same: 56

Source: Skout.

Percentage of families who did not borrow any of the money they used to pay for college during the 2014-2015 academic year, according to the national study from Sallie Mae and Ipsos: 62

Among those who did borrow, percentage of the responsibility for the funds borrowed that fell primarily to the student: 75

Percentage of students who worked during the year to help cover costs: 74

Source: Sallie Mae.

Date that USA Today began publishing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: Sept. 15, 1982

Date that The New York Times issued its first edition: Sept. 18, 1851

Month that the first newspaper in America was published in Boston, called "Public Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick," and lasting for one day before being shut down by British authorities unhappy with its content: September 1690

Today, estimated number of publishers of daily, weekly or other periodical newspapers in the U.S., employing over 231,000 people: 7,500

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

On average, total amount of money the typical American spent in 2013, the most recent year for which data was available, according to research by Credit Donkey: $51,100

Median household income in the United States in 2013, a steep drop from the $56,436 reported in 2007: $51,939

As of December 2014, personal savings rate in the U.S., compared to the 10.5 percent rate reported in December 2012: 4.9

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of the top 10 fastest-growing degrees that are in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, according to a the results of a CareerBuilder survey that looks at trends in college degrees over the past four years: 50

Percentage growth in science technologies/technicians: 49

Percentage growth in natural resources and conservation: 45

Percentage growth in parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies: 44

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of senior U.S. association executives who said their associations are outsourcing functions other than audit and legal services, according to a SmithBucklin Outsourced Services: 81

Ranks of graphic design/multimedia/video, editorial/publishing, advertising sales and membership technology on the list of services association executives considering outsourcing as an option to help achieve their organizations' goals: 1, 2(tie), 4

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." -- Leo Tolstoy

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of women who said getting more sleep makes people more productive: 60

Percentage of men and women who agree that sleep and exercise play important roles in increasing productivity: 97

Percentage of Americans who feel most productive during the morning (between 6 and 11 a.m.): 62

Source: Crucial.com.

When asked, "If you found out tomorrow you were financially able to quit work, would you?" percentage who said they would, according to a survey from Ipsos Public Affairs' Omnibus Division: 40

Odds on winning the lottery: 175,223,110 to 1

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

If Canadians could vote in the U.S. presidential election, percentage who would hand the Democrats a victory over the Republicans (17 percent) and independent candidates (28 percent), according to a poll conducted on behalf of Global News: 55

Percentage who would have voted for Barack Obama in 2012: 86

Source: Global News.

Percentage of college students who prefer print textbooks to e-books, according to a survey conducted by Direct Textbook: 72

Percentage of textbooks purchased by students in 2014 that were print editions, according to the Student Monitor: 87

Percentage that were e-books: 9

Source: Direct Textbook.

In 2014, percentage of people who identified with the Catholic faith (down from 23.9 in 2007): 20.8

Percentage who identified with the evangelical Protestant faith (down from 26.3): 25.4

Percentage who identified with mainline Protestantism (down from 18.1) in 2007: 14.7

Percentage who stated they were unaffiliated (up from 16.1): 22.8

Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Percentage of Americans who believe travel is more enjoyable when experienced with their children, according to the results of a study by Expedia and Tinder: 33

Percentage who feel it is less enjoyable: 23

Percentage who report no meaningful difference: 42

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of workers who said they've experienced at least one work-related mishap when starting a new job, according to research from the staffing firm OfficeTeam: 54

Percentage who stated company technology (computer, phone, security access, etc.) wasn't properly set up when they arrived: 33

Percentage of HR managers who stated their company's process for bringing on new employees is "very effective": 50

Percentage who said it's "somewhat effective": 42

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of American adults who say that a product touted as "handmade/handcrafted" strongly or somewhat communicates that the product is high quality, according to a Harris poll: 59

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of lawyers who said they would have chosen business management or marketing careers if they hadn't become attorneys, according to a survey by Robert Half Legal: 20

Rank of academia/education, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and finance/economics on the list of chosen alternate careers: 2 (three-way tie at 12 percent each)

Source: Robert Half Legal.

Percentage of parents who say they frequently feel tired, according to a survey by care.com: 45

Percentage who say they feel stressed: 40

Percentage who say they never feel rested: 10

Source: Care.com.

Idle Thought

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." -- Arthur Ashe

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of Americans who spend their vacation days dealing with personal obligations -- such as family emergencies, doctor's or dentist's appointments -- or attending sick children or loved ones, rather than actually vacationing, according to a survey of Princess Cruises: 54

Percentage of Americans who say they find it more stressful to ask for a few extra days off than to ask for a raise: 22

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have a predicted heart age that is older than their actual age, meaning they are at higher risk for heart attacks and stroke, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report: 75

Estimated number of U.S. adults between the ages of 30 and 74 who have a heart age older than their actual age -- that's about the number of people living in the 130 largest U.S. cities combined: 69 million

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Percentage of American adults who say it is OK to use a cellphone on public transportation, according to a Pew Internet and American Life survey: 77

Percentage who say it is OK at a restaurant: 38

Percentage who say it is OK at a family dinner: 12

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of men who think they are more attractive than their best friend, according to Skout's National BFF Day survey: 52

Percentage of men who say their best friend is a woman (vs. 35 percent of men whose best friend is a guy): 40

Percentage of women who say their best friend is a woman (vs. 24 percent of women whose best friend is a guy): 66

Source: Skout.

Year that several counties in a vast territory appended to North Carolina combined to seek admittance to the United States as the state of Franklin, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1784

Year that Franklin fell short of the votes in Congress for admittance, but existed for a few years as an independent republic: 1785

Decade that it was reabsorbed into U.S. territory -- the area now forms the northeast portion of Tennessee: 1790s

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of advertising and marketing executives who say a fellow colleague has tried to make them look bad, according to a survey by The Creative Group: 31

Percentage who said the best way to deal with it is to confront the other person: 41

Percentage who said the best way to deal with it is to alert the person's manager or human resources: 40

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of citizens surveyed in 24 countries who say there are too many immigrants in their country, according to an Ipsos global poll: 50

Percentage who say that immigration is causing their country to change in ways they don't like: 46

Against a backdrop where 81 percent of citizens indicate that over the last five years migrants have increased in their country, percentage who say immigrants make their country a more interesting place to live: 30

Source: Ipsos Global.

Rough estimate of the cost incurred by the average consumer in checking account fees each year, according to research by WalletHub: $470

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of college students who admitted to skipping class, according to Core Principle's Class120 technology and Crimson Hexagon, which identified and analyzed more than 3.1 million tweets sent by students on the topic of skipping class: 87

Percentage of the Twitter posts that referenced skipping class to spend more time with their friends: 37

Percentage of students who tweeted that they were sleeping or too tired to go to class: 32

Source: Class120.

Percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol, according to a survey by Gallup: 66

Percentage who report using a mood-altering drug nearly every day: 19

Percentage who admit to using marijuana: 7

Source: Gallup Organization.

Idle thought

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -- Thomas Edison

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)