Percentage of workers who said that communication and diplomacy skills are areas where their managers most need improvement, according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 30

Percentage who cited greater technical expertise was needed: 18

Percentage who said leadership: 17

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

A decade after the emergence of smartphones, Facebook and Twitter, percentage of adults in the U.S. who report that they constantly or often check their email, texts and social media accounts, according to a American Psychological Association report: 86

On a 10-point scale, where 1 is "little or no stress" and 10 is "a great deal of stress," average reported overall stress level for constant checkers: 5.3

Average reported overall stress level for those who don't check as frequently: 4.4

Among employed Americans who check their work email constantly on their days off, reported overall stress level is even higher: 6.0

Source: American Psychological Association.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have trouble sleeping at least once a week, according to a Packaged Facts survey: 82

Number of "troubled sleepers" this represents out of 249 million adults in the United States: 206 million

Estimated annual cost of insomnia, with the majority being spent on indirect costs, such as poorer workplace performance, increased health care use and increased accident risk: $100 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of Americans who say they are planning on searching for a home to purchase within the next three years, including 13 percent who are currently in the process of looking, according to a study conducted for Zillow: 39

Percentage who are planning to finance the purchase with a mortgage: 81

Percentage who will buy the house with cash: 19

Source: Zillow.

Percentage of millennials who identify as savers, according to the TD Ameritrade Millennials and Money survey: 62

Percentage who have a budget: 80

Percentage who have an emergency fund: 51

Source: TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.

Percentage of human resources managers who said it's important for employees to have a high emotional quotient, because it helps them manage their own emotions and understand and react to the emotions of others, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 95

Percentage of employees who believe EQ is more valuable in the workplace than IQ: 21

Percentage who said the two are equally important: 65

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of women over the age of 25 who plan to have children but are postponing starting a family to focus on their career, compared to 79 percent of men, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 83

Rank of "wanting to earn and save enough money to provide for their family" on the list of the top reasons given by both women and men who plan to have children later on: 1

Rank of "the desire to become more established and get ahead in their career" on the list: 2

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

After safety in an accident, reliability, fuel economy and low running costs, percentage of the online population across 17 countries who see having the latest driver technology in a vehicle (e.g., steering or parking assist, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry or ignition) as "very important," according to global researcher GfK: 35

Percentage who say the same for the latest passenger technology (audio or video streaming, social network connectivity, etc.): 28

Source: GfK Custom Research North America.

Year that the case of Auguste Herman (born in Bohemia, in present-day Czech Republic, and not a British subject) became an item of government involvement as the Maryland colonial assembly approved his application for citizenship, potentially making him the first naturalized citizen in America: 1666

In today's population of over 322 million, estimated number of citizens who are foreign-born: 19 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Value of the global hybrid cars market in 2015, according to Transparency Market Research: $103 billion

Projected market value by 2024: $398 billion

Source: Transparency Market Research.

Idle Thought

"When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package." -- John Ruskin, author

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

Percentage of millennials aged 25 to 34 who said that $25,000 or more of debt is a relationship deal-breaker, according to a survey by CentSai: 63

Percentage of respondents who said that it would be a deal-breaker if their partner had the same amount of debt as them -- regardless of the amount: 25

Percentage of respondents who said that debt has caused a decrease in sexual attraction between them and their partner: 14

Percentage who said that debt is important or very important when considering someone as a life partner: 65

Source: CentSai.

Rank of Oprah Winfrey as the most trusted, the best role model and the most liked by respondents from among several well-known entrepreneurs, including Mark Cuban, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeffrey Bezos and Richard Branson, according to research undertaken by Fit Small Business: 1

Rank of Oprah Winfrey as the most disliked: 1

Source: Fit Small Business.

Rank of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the list of the most followed world leaders on Facebook with 40 million followers on his personal page, according to the 2017 World Leaders on Facebook study by strategic communications and global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller: 1

Rank of U.S. President Donald J. Trump with 20 million followers on his personal page: 2

Ranks of PMO India -- the official page of India's highest office (13 million followers), Queen Rania of Jordan (10 million) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (8 million): 3, 4, 5

Source: Burson-Marsteller.

Percentage of people aged 21 to 65 who say they regret rushing their career choices, with many saying they picked a university course at random because they simply didn't know what they wanted to do and felt pushed to make a decision because they were "running out of time," according to a survey by Career Hunter: 90

Source: Career Hunter.

Percentage of Americans who say the current political climate is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, according to an American Psychological Association report: 57

Percentage of people who reported at least one health symptom because of stress (up from 71 percent in August 2016) over five months: 80

Percentage of Americans who have reported specific symptoms such as headaches, feeling overwhelmed, feeling nervous or anxious, or feeling depressed or sad: 33

Source: American Psychological Association.

Ranks of California, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia on the list of states where immigrants have the biggest economic impact, according to research by WalletHub: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of the workforce in California that is foreign-born: 34.12

Percentage of STEM workers in New Jersey who are foreign born: 41

Percentage of foreign-born adults aged 25 and older in the District of Columbia with a bachelor's degree or higher: 51.5

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers who believe having a vacant senior manager role has an adverse impact on the team's efficiency, according to research from Robert Half: 59

Percentage of those in leadership who say the same: 70

Ranks of decreased employee morale or motivation, increased workloads, fear about job security or the relationship with a new boss, and internal competition for the new position on the list of reasons given by employees why a senior manager's departure from the organization impedes their productivity while the role remains open: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Year that Canada became self-governing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1867

In 2015, estimated value of goods passed one way or the other across the effectively undefended border: $575 billion

Of America's population of around 322 million, number that are foreign-born: 43 million

Estimated number who are from Canada: 806,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of chief procurement officers surveyed in North America who said reducing costs is the top priority, according to findings of the Deloitte Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey 2017: 84

Percentage who say that talent is the single greatest factor in driving procurement performance: 87

Source: Deloitte.

Estimated number of U.S. credit card holders who haven't changed their preferred credit card in at least a decade, according to a CreditCards.com report: 32 million

Number who have never switched: 21 million

Source: Creditcards.com.

Idle Thought

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton, novelist

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

Percentage of divorcees who say that finances played at least "somewhat" of a role in their divorces (20 percent believe it played a "big" role), according to a survey by Experian: 59

Percentage who say their spouse's credit score was a source of stress in the marriage: 36

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Month that community activist and civil rights icon Rosa Parks was born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: February 1913

When she was arrested in 1955, number of years, on average, that black children attended school: 7

Now, percentage of African-American adults who have at least a high school diploma: 85

Estimated number who are enrolled in college as graduate or undergraduate students: 3.4 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who admit they're more likely to wash their hands after seeing a sign that requires employees to wash before returning to work, according to the Healthy Hand Washing Survey conducted by Bradley Corp.: 50

Percentage who say the presence of other people causes them to either make sure they wash their hands or wash longer or more thoroughly: 40

Source: Bradley Corp.

When asked who's responsible for keeping spirits high on the job, percentage of North American workers who said it was their responsibility alone, according to a study from Robert Half and Happiness Works: 25

Percentage who said it was all in their company's hands: 5

Percentage of respondents who cited a combination of the two: 70

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Over the last 12 months ending November 2016, number of miles driven by Americans, according to research by Convergex: 3.215 billion

Number of equivalent round trips to/from the sun this would equal: 17

Source: Convergex.

Approximate number of Americans who have concealed a bank or credit card account from their live-in spouse, partner or significant other, according to a CreditCards.com survey: 12 million

Percentage of older baby boomers, those ages 63 to 71, who have had a secret account: 11

Percentage of millennials who have had a secret account: 3

Source: Creditcards.com.

Average amount that U.S. consumers spent this Valentine's Day, down from last year's record high $146.84, according to an annual Valentine's Day survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics: $136.57

Amount spent on flowers: $2 billion

Amount spent on an evening out: $3.8 billion

Amount spent on jewelry: $4.3 billion

Source: NRF.

Despite 44 percent of parents reporting improvements in school cafeteria meals within the last five years, percentage of parents who opt to pack a lunch, according to a Nielsen survey: 51

Percentage of consumers who want to set good examples for their families by eating healthier: 41

Regardless of price, percentage of consumers who are willing to pay more if it equals a healthier choice: 55

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of consumers who report they like to work out with music, according to research commissioned by Jabra: 81

Ranks of pop, rap and dance on the list of favorite genres to exercise by: 1, 2, 3

Source: Jabra.

Percentage of U.S. adults who currently have estate planning documents such as a will or living trust, according to a Caring.com report: 42

Percentage of U.S. adults who have granted someone legal authorization to make decisions on their medical care if they are unable to do so: 53

Ranks of "I just haven't gotten around to it" and "I don't have enough assets to leave to anyone" on the list of reasons given by those who don't have estate documents: 1, 2

Source: Caring.com.

Idle Thought

"If I knew of something that could serve my nation but would ruin another, I would not propose it to my prince, for I am first a man and only then a Frenchman ... because I am necessarily a man, and only accidentally am I French."

-- Montesquieu, philosopher, lawyer and writer (1689-1755)

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