Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of recent college grads who wish they had picked a different field of study now that they are in the job market, according to a survey by Ameritrade: 29

Percentage who would choose a major in a higher-paying field: 22

Percentage of grads who said they would have studied harder: 26

Percentage who would have earned money while in school: 19

Percentage who would spend less money/accumulate less debt: 24

Source: TD Ameritrade.

Number of interest rate hikes already in the books this year (with another expected by the end of the year), according to WalletHub: 2

Percentage of Americans who don't know when the Fed last raised rates: 44

Percentage of Americans who think rate hikes make existing mortgages more expensive (90 percent of mortgages have fixed rates): 50

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of executives who said the top reason highly skilled professionals would choose one employer over another is the promise of meaningful work, according to a KornFerry survey: 68

Percentage who said better compensation is the top reason these professionals would choose one employer over another: 4

When asked why skilled professionals would leave an organization, percentage of executives who said the top reason would be a lack of their organization's willingness to recognize the value of their expertise: 53

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage more days than their peers that workers with substance use disorders miss (and up to six weeks of work annually), according to analysis from the National Safety Council, NORC at the University of Chicago, and Shatterproof: 50

Percentage of employers who view prescription drug use as a threat to safety: 39

Percentage who feel it is a problem: 24

Within the construction, entertainment, recreation and food service businesses, number of times higher than the national average the rate of employees with substance use disorders: 2

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of finance professionals who believe strong analytical skills are a critical competency in their profession, according to research by the Association for Financial Professionals: 54

Despite the fact that finance professionals consider leadership and people skills to be important competencies, percentage who believe that finance professionals at their own organizations lack these specific skills: 40

Source: Association for Financial Professionals.

Percentage of professionals who said their work-life balance has improved from three years ago, according to the Robert Half Management Resources survey: 52

Percentage who reported their manager is very or somewhat supportive of their efforts to achieve this balance: 91

Percentage who said their boss sets a good or even excellent example: 74

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of Americans who report that some of their favorite outdoor memories have occurred right in their own yards, according to a survey conducted by Harris on behalf of TruGreen: 65

Number of Americans this represents: 162 million

Average number of hours Americans spend per week in their yards during the summer: 12

Percentage of Americans who consider flowers blooming to be the first sign of spring: 35

Source: The Harris Poll.

Ranks of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister and Sansa Stark on the list of favoured candidates for the "Iron Throne," according to an Ipsos survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Trailing even further behind her brother -- rank of incumbent Cersei Lannister, who ascended the throne amidst some controversy following the unexpected deaths of most of King's Landing: 6

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Average amount of money the youngest adult generation reports spending per month on groceries, compared to $724 for those 37 and older, according to research by bankrate.com: $797

Average amount millennials spend per month on gasoline, versus the $211 per month spent by those older than them: $254

Average monthly spend by millennials on both dine-in and takeout meals, against $182 for older generations: $233

Source: Bankrate.com.

Idle Thought

"One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in life." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer

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

Average amount of time per day that office professionals said they squander using their mobile device for non-work activities in the office, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 56 minutes

Amount of time per day that workers admitted to clocking on personal tasks: 42 minutes

All in all, amount of time per workweek the average employee could be wasting on activities unrelated to the job: 8 hours

Source: OfficeTeam.

When asked the best way to invest money not needed for more than 10 years, percentage of U.S. adults who replied real estate, according to a survey by bankrate.com: 28

Percentage who picked cash investments: 23

Percentage who favored the stock market: 17

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of Americans who admit they do not get enough sleep to mitigate critical risks that can jeopardize safety at work and on the roads, including the ability to think clearly, make informed decisions and be productive, according to a study by the National Safety Council: 43

Estimated percentage of workplace injuries that could be attributed to fatigue: 13

Percentage of all fatal car crashes -- 6,400 deaths each year -- that are attributed to a drowsy driver: 21

Source: National Safety Council.

Rank of "continued cultural bias" on the list of the top reasons for the dearth of women CEOs, according to a survey by Korn Ferry in conjunction with The Rockefeller Foundation: 1

Percentage of executives who say developing women leaders is important because "greater gender diversity makes companies perform better": 51

Percentage who say it allows companies to attract the best available talent regardless of gender: 47

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of students/parents who say that paper and packaging is relevant in their daily lives, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Paper and Packaging Board: 79

Percentage of college students who agree: 86

Ranks of writing the information down by hand, reading the information on paper and listening to the information on the list of most effective ways to learn: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs CJ.

Percentage of U.S. workers who would not apply to a company experiencing negative press, according to the latest CareerBuilder survey: 71

Percentage of workers who have left a company because of negative publicity: 6

Percentage of employers who have experienced positive press who have seen higher morale among employees: 42

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama and West Virginia on the list of states with the most at-risk youth, according to research by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of North Dakota, Utah, New Hampshire, Iowa and Minnesota on the list of states with the fewest at-risk youth: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Estimated number of people who were afflicted with depression in 2015 (4.4 percent of the global population), according to the World Health Organization: 322 million

Percentage rise in the past decade (an increasing number of experts and medical practitioners are considering whether our addiction to technology might be contributing to the rise in depression observed throughout the world, but most notably in the United States and the United Kingdom): 19

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

While car companies and even countries have recently pledged to go all-in on electric vehicles, expected percentage gain by electric cars in the share of vehicles on the road by 2025, according to a new study released by the Fuels Institute: 2

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of companies that let all employees fulfill continuing professional education requirements while on the clock, according to a survey from Robert Half Finance and Accounting: 26

Percentage who allow it dependent on if the employee has a proven track record for success: 24

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting.

Idle Thought

"I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice." -- Joyce Carol Oates, writer

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

Estimated number of Americans who have a side hustle -- a way to earn extra money other than a main source of income -- according to a Bankrate.com report: 44 million

Percentage of younger millennials (ages 18 to 26) who indicate they have a side hustle, the most of any age group: 28

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of professionals who say that although summer jobs, such as landscaping, waiting tables, lifeguarding, etc., may not build technical skills, these jobs help prepare young people for their post-college careers, according to a survey by Robert Half: 98

Ranks of customer service skills (80 percent), interpersonal/communication skills (78 percent) and working effectively in a team setting (74 percent) on the list of the top three skills workers say they built during their summer jobs: 1, 2, 3

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of cars that are lemons (defined as newly purchased vehicles that presented several manufacturing defects potentially affecting the safety, value or use) that started to show symptoms or problems after only one month of purchase, with issues ranging from a check engine light to a non-starting vehicle, according to a survey conducted by YourMechanic: 66

Percentage of lemon car owners who spent up to $10,000 on the faulty vehicle: 63

Source: YourMechanic.

Percentage of executives who say that resumes are less important to the job search process than they were five years ago, according to a survey conducted by the Futurestep division of Korn Ferry: 35

Ranks of networking (77 percent), interviewing (16 percent), social/online presence (4 percent) and resumes (3 percent) on the list of the most important parts of the job search process: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Korn Ferry International.

Number of times per week the average millennial dines at a restaurant or buys takeout food, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 5

Percentage of all millennials (and 51 percent between the ages of 21 and 26) who typically go to a bar at least once a week, versus 24 percent of Generation Xers, 19 percent of baby boomers and 11 percent of the silent generation: 42

Overall, percentage of Americans who say they don't purchase any brewed coffee or tea in a typical week: 59

Source: Bankrate.com.

On average, percentage more that people with no credit pay for car insurance than people with excellent credit, according to WalletHub's 2017 Car Insurance and Credit Scores Report: 65

At Farmers Insurance (the firm most reliant on credit data), estimated percentage more that newcomers with no credit pay than excellent-credit customers: 100

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of "Stranger Things," "Supernatural," "This Is Us" and "Orange Is the New Black" on the list of summer's most bingeable shows, according to E-Poll Market Research: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of bingeable shows that are superhero shows, led by "Marvel's Luke Cage" at No. 8: 20

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

While 99 percent of people like ice cream, percentage of Americans who say they do not eat it or they limit their consumption due to "health" concerns, according to a survey conducted for Arctic Zero Fit Frozen Desserts: 55

Percentage of respondents who feel ice cream isn't a healthy choice: 22

Percentage who don't eat it because they are trying to lose weight or stay fit: 17

Source: Arctic Zero.

Rank of New York as the world's most popular city, retaining the title it claimed in 2013, according to the 2017 edition of the Ipsos Top Cities Index: 1

Number of countries where people were asked to list, out of 60 cities, the metropolises they felt were best to live in, do business in and visit: 26

Ranks of Abu Dhabi, London and Paris on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Each year, estimated number of weddings that take place across the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 2.1 million

Median age at first marriage for women -- up five years since 1980, according to the Census Bureau: 27.8

Average age of men for a first marriage: 29.7

Source: Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt and has a clear conscience?" -- Adam Smith, economist

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