Ranks of relevant experience, assessing soft skills, corporate culture fit and evaluating technical skills on the list of the top reasons employers interview job candidates, according to a survey of senior managers by Robert Half: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of a lack of technical abilities and soft skills on the list of the common reasons new hires don't work out: 1, 2

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of professionals who say they have argued with their spouse about being too connected to work while on vacation, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 50

Percentage of respondents who say they check in with the office multiple times a day: 48

Percentage who say they do so once a day: 31

Percentage who say they never check in while on vacation: 2

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of college-going families who believe they are getting a good value for the price they're paying for college, according to a survey for Sallie Mae: 66

Percentage who report they are paying a fair price: 36

Percentage who say they're getting somewhat of a bargain: 10

Percentage who believe the education is worth every penny: 20

Source: Sallie Mae.

Percentage of Americans who have driven in at least 25 states, according to research by WalletHub: 25

Ranks of California and Texas on the list of the most popular picks as the best state to drive in: 1, 2

Source: WalletHub.

Typical annual cost to a student from a lower-income family (less than $50,000) after being accepted to an elite college, according to a survey of the top 30 colleges by The New York Times: $6,000

Annual cost for those students from the middle-class (family income in the $50,000 to $120,000 range): $16,000

Annual cost for those students from an upper-middle-class to affluent background: $60,000 plus

Source: Ameritech Financial.

With 19 million college students heading off to colleges and universities in the coming weeks, amount that retailers can expect parents to spend to get their students settled in, according to Deloitte's 2018 Back-to-College Survey of parents: $25.5 billion

Percentage of back-to-college sales that are expected to be accounted for by brick-and-mortar stores: 54

Source: Deloitte.

Projected total back-to-school spending for K-12 and college combined, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics: $82.8 billion

Average amount that families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend per student: $684.79

Source: NRF.

Number of times more likely that low-income parents are to apply for a new credit card in order to save 5 percent on back-to-school shopping than high-income parents, according to a WalletHub survey: 10

Percentage of people who make between $50,000 and $75,000 per year who say their kids' education is worth going into debt for: 84

Percentage of people who make $100,000 plus who agree: 54

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of parents who are confident (50 percent very; 40 percent somewhat) that their child will finish college without a temporary pause in studies, according to a poll conducted for Allianz Global Assistance: 90

Percentage of students who describe themselves as confident (49 percent very; 35 percent somewhat) in their ability to finish college without needing to temporarily withdraw: 84

Percentage of parents who agree that the financial repercussions of withdrawing from a college program could be severe: 85

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of times more likely children are to get to school safely by taking the bus rather than riding in a car, according to The National Safety Council: 70

Estimated number of children who are injured by backpacks each year: 14,000

Percentage of a child's weight recommended for a backpack weight, taking into consideration age and physical fitness: 5 to 10

Source: National Safety Council.

Idle Thought

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." -- Mark Twain

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

Percentage of U.S. families who say they sometimes feel pressured to post photos of their vacation on social media to show they're having a good time: 20

Percentage who admit they post their vacation photos on social media simply to show off the places they visited and the things they saw or did: 27

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

When it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, percentage of Americans who think men getting away with it is a major problem, according to a Pew Research Center survey: 50

Percentage who believe that employers firing men before finding out all the facts is a major problem: 34

Percentage who say women making false accusations is a major problem: 31

Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Ranks of anxiety "all the time" or "often," insecurity, and fear on the list of emotions caused by a shaky financial situation, according to research by Northwestern Mutual: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who said that financial anxiety makes them feel depressed at least monthly: 28

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

Percentage of Americans who admit they would feel better if they tried harder to stay fit, according to the MDVIP Fat IQ Survey, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 75

Percentage who say they lack motivation to stick with a diet or exercise plan: 58

Percentage who say they lack the willpower to resist food temptations: 55

Source: MDVIP Media Relations.

Percentage of those with a financial regret who say they have begun to address their biggest financial issue, according to a Bankrate.com report: 49

Percentage who say they have no plans to tackle the problem: 25

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. millennial travelers who rank a destination's cuisine as the biggest factor when deciding where to travel, according to a survey by Hotels.com: 60

Ranks of beautiful beaches (43 percent), the shopping scene (20 percent) and special offers (9 percent) on the list of other deciding factors: 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Paris (27 percent), Tokyo (23 percent) and Rome (22 percent) on the list of top "foodie" cities: 1, 2, 3

Source: Hotels.com

Percentage of American homeowners who say countertop clutter is the issue that causes the most stress, according to a new MasterBrand Cabinets home organization survey: 60

Percentage who say that stand-up mixers and other large appliances rank as the most-challenging-to-store kitchen item: 39

Percentage of those surveyed who believe "every item has to be in its proper space," compared to 42 percent who "store items wherever they can find room": 58

Source: MasterBrand Cabinets Inc.

Percentage of all global luxury shoppers who agree that they "only buy luxury when it is discounted," according to Affluent Perspective's Global Luxury Retail Report: 50

Percentage of the luxury discount-oriented group who grew up in an affluent household: 28

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of global respondents who agree it's not OK to be barefoot during a flight, according to an Expedia survey: 90

Percentage of Americans who said they always keep their shoes and socks on: 75

Source: Expedia.

Average hourly rate earned by electricians (high school diploma plus apprenticeship), according to CareerBuilder's new hot list of jobs that pay $20 or more per hour, are projected to grow over the next five years and don't require a college degree: $26.33

Average hourly rate earned by plumbers, pipe fitters and steamfitters (high school diploma plus apprenticeship): $25.76

Average hourly rate earned by computer user support specialists (some college): $25.50

Average hourly rate earned by heating, air conditioning, refrigeration mechanics and installers (post secondary non-degree award and on-the-job training): $22.39

Average hourly rate earned by chefs and head cooks (high school diploma and on-the-job training): $21.54

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Idle Thought

"I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself." -- Emily Bronte, novelist

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

Percentage of Americans who practice meditation or mindfulness when they are stressed, according to the John Hancock mindfulness survey: 12

Of those who do, percentage who cite meditation and mindfulness as the most effective activity for managing their stress, ranked above listening to music, sleeping or exercising: 70

Source: John Hancock Life Insurance Company.

Percentage of Americans who report they've kissed between five and 10 people in their lives, according to data from YouGov Omnibus: 16

Percentage who said they've kissed more than 50 people: 15

Percentage who said they've never been kissed: 5

Percentage who have kissed only one person: 4

Percentage of people aged 18 to 24 who said that they have kissed zero people: 19

Source: YouGov. Contact Jennifer Abreu at 212 724 3040 or email Jennifer.Abreu@yougov.com.

Percentage of Americans who are saving their money for travel, surpassing saving for emergencies, retirement or purchasing a car or home, according to a poll by SunTrust Banks Inc.: 45

Ranks of building a nest egg, retirement and saving for "little splurges" on the list of reasons for saving: 2, 3, 4

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of American adults who are married or in a serious relationship who said money caused the most stress on their relationship, according to a survey on behalf of Ally Bank: 36

Percentage of adults ages 18 to 54 who cited money as the top stressor, compared to 23 percent of adults ages 55 and older: 44

Source: Ally Financial.

Ranks of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat on the list of the social media platforms that Americans say most inspire them to travel, according to a survey by Allianz Global Assistance: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage who say that social media platforms do not inspire them to travel: 34

Percentage of women who say they are inspired by Pinterest: 25

Percentage of men who say the same: 12

Source: Allianz Global Assistance.

Percentage of workers who are nervous that their current role won't exist in five years due to technological changes, according to a survey conducted by Clutch: 15

Percentage of workers who are willing to learn new skills: 87

Percentage of businesses that have already implemented some form of automation, such as self-service kiosks, customer relationship management (CRM) software or tablets used for sales: 17

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of leaders of sales teams across several industries who, despite citing base pay as the top reason for turnover, do not plan to increase total compensation for their team members in 2018, according to a Korn/Ferry survey: 22

Percentage of sales team leaders who say they will lose roughly 10 to 20 percent of their staff annually: 30

Percentage who say they will lose between 20 and 30 percent of their staff: 15

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Percentage of U.S. full-time workers in sales, office and management/professional occupations who are actively seeking new job opportunities, according to a joint survey by recruitment firms Accounting Principals and Ajilon: 26

Percentage of respondents who are passively open to new job opportunities: 56

Source: Accounting Principals.

Percentage of U.S. employers who plan to hire full-time permanent workers in the second half of 2018, up from 60 percent last year, according to CareerBuilder's Midyear Job Forecast: 63

Percentage who plan to increase starting salaries on new job offers in the back half of 2018: 45

Percentage of all employers who plan to increase starting salaries by 5 percent or more: 23

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of consumers who have encountered an emergency expense in the past year, according to a CIT Bank survey: 48

Percentage who don't save anything: 25

Percentage who save less than 5 percent of their monthly income: 25

Source: CIT.

Idle Thought

"That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest." -- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

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