For every five people looking for work, number of job openings available, according to the Center for Law and Social Policy: l

Number of workers (32 percent of the 14 million unemployed workers) who have been out of work for a year or more: 4.5 million

Number who have been unemployed for six months to a year: 1.7 million

Source: CLASP.

Ranks of the University of Cambridge, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the list of the QS World University Rankings based on six indicators, including surveys of more than 33,000 global academics and 16,000 graduate employers: 1, 2, 3

Number of American universities in the top 20: 13

Source: QS World University Rankings.

Percentage of working moms who say they spend more time each day parenting than on their careers, according to a survey commissioned by VTech: 48

Percentage of working dads who say the same: 19

Percentage of working moms who report that they have an hour or less to themselves each day: 70

Percentage who report that they have less than 15 minutes: 20

Source: VTech Electronics.

Even with the current national unemployment rate hovering at just over 9 percent, percentage of U.S. adults who reported that the spirit of the U.S. workforce is broken, according to a survey released by Aflac: 35

Percentage of employed adults who reported that their paycheck is the majority of the reason they work: 69

Percentage of adults employed full- or part-time, and not currently self-employed, who stated they would leave their current position to become an independent entrepreneur: 77

Source: Aflac Inc.

Percentage of cloth diapering families who say they only use cloth diapers and never/rarely use disposables, according to a survey by DiaperShops.com: 79

Percentage of respondents who say they own 31 or more cloth diapers, even though most manufacturers recommend needing to have only about 20 diapers on hand: 44

Ranks of saving money, being more eco-friendly and health of baby on the list of reasons families choose to cloth diaper: 1, 2, 3

Source: DiaperShops.com.

Number of states that have had teen unemployment rates averaging more than 20 percent through the summer of 2011, according to a new Employment Policies Institute analysis of jobs data: 35

Ranks of the District of Columbia, Nevada and California on the list of highest state unemployment for 16- to 19-year-olds: 1, 2, 3

Source: Employment Policies Institute.

Percentage of consumers who say they find online channels trustworthy sources for product and service reviews, according to the 20ll Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker: 89

Percentage of consumers who have changed their minds about a recommended purchase based solely on negative information they found online, up from just 67 percent of consumers who said the same in 2010: 80

Source: Cone.

Percentage of students who strongly agreed that college is an investment in the future, an increase from 84 percent in 2010, according to a Sallie Mae national study of college students and parents: 90

Percentage of students and parents who strongly agreed that a college education is necessary for their desired occupation, and that college is required to earn more, up from 63 amd 59 percent, respectively, in 2010: 70

Source: Sallie Mae.

Percentage of employed Americans who have changed jobs in the last year, up 4 percentage points from 2010, according to the fifth-annual Labor Happiness Index commissioned by SnagAJob: 22

Of those who have landed a new job in the last year, percentage who said it was a proactive move on their part in seeking a new opportunity, up 13 percentage points from the previous survey: 44

Percentage of working Americans who say that the most important issue facing the country today is the economy, up 8 percentage points from last year, and the highest reading in the five-year survey: 66

Source: SnagAJob.com.

Percentage of executives who say they are planning to hire professional-level staff in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Robert Half Professional Employment Report: 12

Percentage who foresee making cutbacks: 5

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Idle Thought

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." -- Mohandas Gandhi

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

Percentage of small-business owners who said that providing financial stability for themselves and their family is their key motivator, according to research from specialist insurer Hiscox: 37

Percentage who cited personal ambition/recognition: 24

Percentage who cited belief in their product/service: 22

Percentage who just wanted to be wealthy: 14

Source: Hiscox.

Percentage of members of Congress who lack an academic background in business or economics, according to a study by the Employment Policies Institute: 78

Of the 23 members on the Senate budget committee, number who have a business/accounting or economics background: 5

On the House side, out of 37 members, number who hold academic degrees in business or economics fields: 8

Percentage of members of Congress who majored in either government-related fields or the humanities: 56

Percentage who majored in science or technology-related fields: 12

Source: Employment Policies Institute.

Year of the first recorded earthquake in the Eastern U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1886

Estimated reading on the Richter scale -- even now, considered among the most powerful quakes to hit the nation: 7.5

Number of people killed by two shocks, eight minutes apart in the early morning: 60

From 2000 to 2009, estimated number of earthquakes in the U.S., most of them minor: 21,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of parents who play computer games with their children every day, according to the results of an academic study by PopCap in partnership with Goldsmiths University: 32

Percentage of those who described this as quality time: 80

Percentage who reported greater bonding with their children as a result of playing these games: 33

Percentage of parents who state that their computer game-playing children also exercise regularly and eat healthily: 75

Source: PopCap Games.

Percentage of Americans who are less comfortable with their savings now compared to 12 months ago, according to the Bankrate poll: 47

Percentage of Americans who say their overall financial situation is worse now than 12 months ago: 35

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans who are making fewer trips to the grocery store to save money on gas, according to Deloitte's consumer food and product insight survey: 72

Percentage who are purchasing fewer items overall: 41

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of senior leaders and hiring managers in America's Fortune 500 and large companies (5,000 employees or more) who engage in virtual teaming who said earning trust was a challenge for managers of virtual teams, according to a study conducted on behalf of Brandman University by Forrester Consulting: 57

Ranks of solid communication skills, ability to self-pace and work independently, and accountability on the list of skills for employee success in a virtual working environment: 1, 2, 3

Source: Brandman University.

Percentage of U.S. adults online who reported that they have used an online coupon or coupon code at least once, according to a survey conducted on behalf of CouponCabin.com: 74

Percentage who reported that they use online coupons or coupon codes at least once a month: 36

Percentage who said they use an online coupon or coupon code at least once a week: 11

Source: CouponCabin.

Percentage of CFOs who said employee morale has improved significantly in the last 12 months, according to an Accountemps survey: 8

Percentage of respondents who said the mood among their teams is unchanged from a year ago: 53

Source: Accountemps.

A decade after 9/11, percentage of Americans who believe terrorism is the most important issue in the world, according to a poll conducted on behalf of United Methodist Communications: 16

Percentage of Americans who cited economic weakness and unemployment as the chief concern for most Americans: 32

Source: United Methodist Communications.

Idle Thought

"The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives." -- Albert Schweitzer

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

Rank of Betty White on the list of America's favorite and most trusted personalities, and the one whose endorsement of a company would be most likely to drive business, according to an Ipsos poll: 1

Ranks of Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks: 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, Britney Spears and Kanye West on the list of the most unpopular celebrities: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated number of times an area the size of Disneyland would be covered by towels laid down by holiday-makers to reserve sun loungers this summer, according to research by Virgin Holidays: 3

Number of hours of holiday time spent each year searching for a spare sun lounger by the pool or beach: 1.8 million

Percentage of those who couldn't find a sun-bed who said it was because the beds were pre-reserved with a towel: 62

Source: Virgin Holidays.

Percentage of workers who described their direct supervisor's performance as poor or very poor: 20

Rank of "plays favorites," "doesn't follow through on what he/she promises" and "doesn't listen to concerns" on the list of workers' top concerns about management: 1, 2, 3

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of high school students who wished that their current high school offered financial literacy courses for them and their families to prepare for college costs, according to a study by the College Savings Foundation: 52

Percentage of students planning to borrow to go to college who have projected the total amount they will have to borrow: 30

Percentage who have projected the total monthly loan repayment amount that they will have to pay after graduation: 22

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Estimated number of U.S. adults who pay their bills late, according to a 2009 National Foundation for Credit Counseling survey: 58 million

Amount consumers spent in credit card bill late fees in 2009: $20 billion

Source: Javelin Strategy & Research.

Percentage of middle-income baby boomers between ages 47 and 65 with income between $25,000 and $75,000 who have not seen any rebound in the value of their retirement accounts, according to a study released by the Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement: 21

Percentage who report owing more on their mortgage than their home is worth: 16

Percentage who have less than $10,000 in retirement savings: 19

Source: Bankers Life and Casualty Co.

Percentage of workers who wish that they had more skills -- "hard" skills such as a degree or knowledge of a trade or industry and/or "soft" skills such as emotional, social, leadership and organizational intelligence, according to a survey for Randstad: 62

Percentage of employed adults who would be willing to take at least one step to get the skills needed for a better job: 64

When asked how much they would be willing to pay out of pocket for continued education or training, percentage of all employed adults who said that they wouldn't be willing to spend any of their own money: 48

Source: Randstad-USA.

Percentage of high school students who begin their college search as early as sophomore year, according to a study by Eduventures Inc. (The College Bound Market Update): 42

Mean number of applications made by high school students in their search: 7.3

Percentage of students who apply to 10 or more colleges and universities: 20

Source: Eduventures.

Percentage of Americans who interpret the Bible literally, saying it is the actual word of God, according to a Gallup poll: 30

Percentage of Americans who say the Bible is the inspired word of God, but that it should not be taken literally: 49

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of business leaders who believe a 1 percent pricing improvement can boost profits, according to a poll by Deloitte: 82

When describing their companies' current pricing management, percentage of leaders who indicated that their company doesn't pursue pricing management strategically: 22

Source: Deloitte Financial Advisory Services.

Idle Thought

"It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." -- Moliere

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