Percentage of employees who say they "would never dream of asking for a pay raise," according to a study conducted by Ceridian for Online Recruitment: 16

Percentage of workers 34 years of age or younger who say they would be comfortable asking for a pay raise: 19

Percentage of workers 34 years of age and older who say they would be comfortable asking for a pay raise: 81

Source: Ceridian.

Ranks of firefighter, scientist, doctor, nurse and teacher on the list of the most prestigious occupations, according to a Harris Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of real estate agent/broker, stock broker, banker, accountant and entertainer on the list of the least prestigious occupations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

Number of times higher that the desire to emigrate is in countries at the bottom quartile in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) worldwide than in countries in the top quartile in GDP, according to the Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008: 2

Percentage emigration rate among college graduates in Belize: 51

Estimated emigration rate of college graduates in Guyana, Jamaica and Haiti: 80

Source: Gallup.

Projected average percentage merit pay increases that U.S. employers are planning to give their employees in 2009, according to a report by Watson Wyatt Worldwide: 3.5

Percentage average increase for employees whose performance ratings exceed expectations: 4.4

Percentage average increase for employees who far exceed expectations: 6

Source: Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

Average age at which college students reported that they took responsibility for their own finances, according to a survey by Higher One: 18.8

Source: Higher One.

Percentage of female workers who say they feel that they are paid less than counterparts of the opposite sex with the same skills and qualifications, according to the "Workplace Equality" survey from CareerBuilder.com: 34

Percentage of men who say they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts: 11

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of companies that anticipate a serious loss of talent and institutional know-how with the retirement of baby boomers, but currently do not have any steps in place to mitigate this loss, according to a survey of senior HR executives in North America by Novations Group: 18

Percentage of companies who don't expect an unusually large loss of talent with baby boomer retirements: 36

Source: Novations Group Inc.

In order to attract and retain proven corporate leaders, percentage of companies that are offering non-compete agreements, according to a survey of business leaders conducted by ExecuNet: 65

Percentage who are offering guaranteed severance: 44

Percentage who are offering stock options/equity: 51

Percentage who are promising a performance bonus: 80

Source: ExecuNet.

Percentage of leisure travelers who embarked on a last-minute trip last year, according to the 2008 Ypartnership/Yankelovich National Leisure Travel MONITOR: 33

Average number of days in advance of their departure that travelers planned late-breaking trips: 15

Ranks of Friday and Saturday as the most popular days that the majority of last-minute bookers favor as departure days: 1, 2

Source: Ypartnership Public Relations.

Percentage of Americans who say they do a better job of saving and protecting their money than their parents, according to a survey from ING and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 58

Percentage who say they do a better job saving and protecting money than their friends and acquaintances: 65

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." -- Albert Einstein

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Percentage of 18-year-olds to 29-year-olds who see themselves as a career hourly worker, according to a survey for SnagAJob.com: 40

Percentage who consider themselves a career salaried worker: 41

Percentage of working Americans who are now paid by the hour, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics: 59

Source: SnagAJob.com.

When Americans were asked if they could choose a vacation in any country in the world outside the United States without having to worry about the cost, the rank of Italy as the most popular choice: 1

Ranks of Australia, Great Britain, France and Ireland on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage who say they would not go anywhere outside the United States: 6

Source: Harris Interactive.

Value of the coffee market (inclusive of both retail and food-service sales) in 2007, according to an updated study from Packaged Facts: $44 billion

Percentage of coffee sales in 2007 that were accounted for by food-service venues: 87

Percentage of the retail market commanded by premium packaged versions of recognizable food-service brands, such as Seattle's Best, Starbucks and Peet's, according to indications thus far for 2008: 30

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of young Americans 18 years old to 34 years old who say they are facing growing financial stress, according to research conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for the Qvisory 2008 Greenberg survey: 55

Percentage of young people who report having gone deeper in debt over the past year: 73

Percentage who say they are paying only their minimum monthly amount on their credit card: 51

Source: Qvisory.

Estimated annual costs associated with common pain conditions and lost productivity due to musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a study by Fellowes: $61.2 billion

Source: GolinHarris.

Percentage of U.S. drinkers who cited beer as their preferred beverage, according to the results of Gallup's annual Consumption Habits Poll: 42

Percentage who said wine is their preference: 31

Percentage who preferred liquor: 23

Source: Gallup.

Percentage increase in the number of "microborrowers" (people involved in the field of "microfinance," which serves those with very low incomes) worldwide in 2006, according to the latest Vital Signs Update released by the Worldwatch Institute: 17

Average microloan size worldwide: $1,026

Estimated value of the portfolio: $13.5 billion

Percentage of the people who lived on $2 or less per day in 2001 that today's 133 million microborrowers represent: 5

Source: WorldWatch Institute.

Percentage of international business travelers who say they are allowed to fly business class for long-haul flights: 56

Of the 44 percent who are not, percentage who say their company policy has changed in the past year: 10

Percentage of companies that say the area in which they are most limiting or keeping an eye on spending is air travel: 32

Source: Orbitz.

Percentage of CFOs who said that interpersonal abilities are the most important communication skill for financial professionals, according to an Accountemps survey: 50

Percentage who cited presentation/public speaking ability as the most important: 17

Percentage who said that negotiation skills are the most important: 16

Percentage who said writing ability: 12

Source: Robert Half International.

Number of the approximately 87 million Americans living in rental housing who do not have insurance to cover their belongings in case of loss, according to a survey by Allstate: 50 million

Percentage of renters who say the reason for not having purchased rental insurance is that they haven't made time to look into it: 43

Source: Allstate Insurance Company.

Idle Thought

"Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn't look up. Well, maybe once." -- Isaac Asimov

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Percentage of men who said they would stay in a relationship where their partner had substantial credit card debt or had filed for bankruptcy, according to a nationwide survey from TRUE.com: 87

Percentage of women who said the same: 80

Percentage of men and women who claim they have never kept financial secrets from someone they are dating: 66.5

Source: True.com.

Percentage of workers who say they stay in contact with work while on vacation, according to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder: 25

Percentage who say their bosses expect them to be working or at least checking voicemail and e-mail while on vacation: 9

Percentage who say they gave up vacation days in 2007 because they didn't have time to use them: 15

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of consumers who say they plan to stay home more in an economic downturn, according to the results of a survey conducted by e-Rewards on behalf of Blockbuster Inc.: 88

Ranks of eating out, attending entertainment events like concerts and plays, taking vacations, seeing movies in the theater and going to the mall as the most likely candidates for budget cuts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Blockbuster.

Percentage of senior-level executives who say they would accept a pay cut for the "right" position -- defined as a position in which they are learning, positively impacting their organization and co-workers and growing professionally -- according to a survey conducted by IMPACT Hiring Solutions: 54

Percentage who would take up to an 18 percent pay cut: 38

Source: IMPACT Hiring Solutions.

Percentage of U.S. executives who say they are willing to sacrifice at least 1 percent of their salaries to fund their companies' "green" initiatives, according to a survey conducted by Korn/Ferry International: 73

Percentage who say they would be willing to forgo 1 to 2 percent: 40

Percentage who say they would be willing to forgo 10 percent or more: 3

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

When asked to name the most important financial problem facing their families today, percentage of Americans who say energy and gas prices, according to a Gallup Poll: 29

Percentage who cite the high cost of living and inflation: 18

Percentage who say a lack of money and low wages: 14

Percentage who say health care costs: 9

Source: Gallup.

Despite the growing availability of other formats for reading -- such as online or with an e-book reader or PDA -- percentage of readers who still like to read the old-fashioned way and curl up with a printed book, according to a Random House/Zogby poll: 82

Percentage of respondents who said they are comfortable reading books in other formats, such as online or with an e-book reader or PDA: 11

Source: Zogby International.

Amount of money needed annually to eradicate world hunger, re-launch agriculture and avert future threats of conflicts over food, according to Director-General Jacques Diouf of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization: $30 billion

Estimated number of hungry people this money would allow to enjoy the right to food: 862 million

Amount of money spent on arms in 2006: $1.204 trillion

Source: FAO.

Value of the beauty product market in 2007, according to a report, The U.S. Cosmeceuticals Market, from Packaged Facts: $16 billion

Projected value of the market by 2012: $21 billion

Value of skin-care products alone in 2007: $8.9 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Rank of Caladesi Island State Park in the Dunedin/Clearwater, Fla., area on the list of America's Top Beaches for 2008, according to coastal expert Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka "Dr. Beach": 1

Ranks of Hanalei Beach (Kauai, Hawaii) and Siesta Beach (Sarasota, Fla.) on the list: 2, 3

Source: about.com.

Idle Thought

"People like to imagine that because all our mechanical equipment moves so much faster, that we are thinking faster, too." -- Christopher Morley, writer

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600