oddities

Figuratively Speaking for January 25, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | January 25th, 2019

Percentage of senior managers who are open to rehiring boomerang employees (staff members who previously left the company on good terms), according to an Accountemps survey: 94

Percentage of former employees who would be likely to apply for a position with a previous company: 52

Ranks of dissatisfaction with management (22 percent), poor fit with organizational culture (17 percent) and unfulfilling job duties (13 percent) on the list of reasons professionals cited for not wanting to return to past employers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Accountemps.

Ranks of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, on Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list, according to Orkin's Behind the Cost of Bed Bugs Hospitality Industry Report (in partnership with The Bantam Group): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Orkin LLC.

Percentage of Americans who know their Social Security number, according to research by Quest Diagnostics: 94

Percentage who know their social media passwords: 80

Percentage who know the current balance in their financial accounts: 75

Source: Quest Diagnostics.

Percentage of workers who said they would consider moving for a position, according to research from global staffing firm Robert Half: 62

Percentage of companies that have increased what's offered in the relocation packages they present to top candidates outside their geographic area: 34

Ranks of better pay and perks (44 percent), family or personal reasons (17 percent), cost of living (16 percent) and career advancement (16 percent) on the list of the top factors in the decision to move for a job: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Number of pounds of grain consumed by cattle per pound of beef, according to research conducted by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service and The Beef Checkoff, and published in the journal Agricultural Systems: 2.6

Percentage of harvested corn grain in the U.S. that is used to feed beef cattle: 9

Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Percentage of social media users who interact on social media at least 10 times per day by either liking, sharing or posting content, according to a survey from The Manifest: 30

Percentage of users who post images, compared to 47 percent who post updates/announcements, 46 percent who post videos and 42 percent who post opinions: 69

Source: The Manifest.

Percentage of Americans who agree that employable adults aren't working today because they don't possess the skills they need for the jobs they want, according to the results of an American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor survey: 45

Percentage who say few jobs are available in their specific field, trade or skill set: 45

Percentage who cite limited job opportunities where they live: 33

Source: American Staffing Association.

Percentage of millennials (ages 18 to 37) who foresee an improved personal financial state in 2019, compared to just 35 percent of those who are older, according to a Bankrate.com report: 59

Among those who think their finances will improve this year, percentage who believe it will be because they will make more money at work, ahead of things like having less debt (38 percent) or making more money from savings and investments (17 percent): 52

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of U.S. business leaders who said it was "unlikely" that their businesses would be laying off workers in 2019, according to a survey by Zogby Analytics: 55

Percentage of business decision-makers from large businesses (5,000-plus employees) who said it was likely that they would lay off workers this year: 28

Source: Zogby International.

When it comes to risk-taking in the workplace, percentage of women who are open to taking small risks to further their career, according to a study of professional women by KPMG: 69

Percentage who are open to taking bigger risks that may be associated with career advancement: 43

Source: KPMG.

Idle Thought

"Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun." -- Christina Rossetti, poet

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for January 18, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | January 18th, 2019

Percentage of Americans who believe it is important to have financial conversations before saying "I do," according to a SunTrust survey: 88

Percentage who actually discussed how they would handle finances before getting married: 51

Percentage of married couples who disclosed their annual salaries before walking down the aisle: 41

Percentage who disclosed their debt: 36

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of Americans (93 million) who say they overspent this past holiday season, according to a WalletHub survey: 37

Percentage (46 million) who regret at least one of their 2018 holiday purchases: 18

Percentage of people who plan to return a present they received this past holiday season: 34

Source: WalletHub.

Age at which kids ages 4 to 14 are the most entrepreneurial, that is, the most likely to boost their income by selling old toys and clothes -- averaging $28 per sale, according to a report by Rooster Money: 11 years

Source: RoosterMoney.

Number of farms that dot America's rural landscape, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation: 2.1 million

Percentage that are operated by families -- individuals, family partnerships or family corporations: 99

Percentage of all farmers who are beginning farmers (in business less than 10 years): 20

Percentage of the total number of U.S. farm operators who are women: 30 (969,672)

Source: American Farm Bureau Federation.

Percentage of Americans who say their skin feels different in winter than it does during the rest of the year, with six in 10 going as far as calling it "unhealthy," according to a survey conducted for CeraVe: 83

Ranks of dryness (69 percent), itchiness (51 percent) and redness (24 percent) on the list of the most bothersome skin discomforts during the colder months: 1, 2, 3

Source: CeraVe.

Percentage of American adults with debt who don't know when they'll ever be debt-free, according to a study from CreditCards.com: 65

Percentage who expect to die in debt, down from 30 percent last year: 25

Percentage of Americans with debt who believe they'll conquer it at some point: 35

Average projected age to be debt-free: 53

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans who say cities should provide more environmentally friendly alternatives to driving, according to a survey conducted for Bird by Global Strategy Group: 84

Percentage who said they want more options specifically for trips that are shorter than 2 miles: 76

Percentage who support increasing the number of bike and scooter lanes in their city: 80

Source: Bird.

Odds of dying accidentally from an opioid overdose, according to the National Safety Council: 1 in 96

Odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash: 1 in 103

Lifetime odds of dying from any preventable, accidental cause (a change from one in 30 in 2004): 1 in 25

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of parents who are likely to reward good behavior with video game playing time, according to YouGov Omnibus research: 60

Percentage who say video games can help kids build teamwork skills: 48

Percentage who say video games allow parents/kids to stay in touch with one another: 44

Percentage who believe that playing games with their kids helps strengthen their relationship: 54

Source: YouGov.

Idle Thought

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare." -- Mark Twain

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for January 11, 2019

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | January 11th, 2019

When it comes to indulging and straying from the usual diet, rank of pizza as the choice of dish (25 percent), beating out ice cream (18 percent) or burger with fries (18 percent), fried chicken (7 percent) and tacos (7 percent), according to a Harris Poll survey conducted for California Pizza Kitchen: 1

Percentage of the U.S. population who consume pizza on any given day, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Agriculture: 13

Source: The Harris Poll.

Rank of "lack of human interaction" on the list of the most cited reasons for discomfort with artificial intelligence, according to SAS: 1

When asked if they could explain the concept of artificial intelligence to a friend or colleague, percentage of respondents who said they could: 44

Source: SAS.

Percentage of respondents who said their organizations will not be providing additional base salary increases to employees as a result of recent legislation that cut the corporate tax rate from as high as 35 percent to a flat rate of 21 percent, according to a survey of senior executives by Korn Ferry: 86

Percentage of organizations who also indicated that it is not likely that they will be providing a one-time bonus to employees due to the tax savings: 91

Source: Korn Ferry International.

Number of times the U.S. government has been closed for business since 1976, including the partial shutdown that began on Dec. 22, 2018, according to WalletHub: 21

Ranks of the District of Columbia, New Mexico, Maryland, Hawaii and Alaska on the list of states most affected by the government shutdown: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana on the list of states least affected by the shutdown: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households who plan to buy a smart video doorbell in the next 12 months, according to Parks Associates: 25

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of American adults who enjoy adult jigsaw puzzling (those that have 500-plus pieces) at least once a year, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos, on behalf of Ravensburger: 48

Percentage who say they puzzle monthly, weekly or daily: 19

Percentage who say that they puzzle less than once a year or never: 52

Source: Ipsos Marketing, Global Consumer Goods Sector.

Value of the wellness tourism market in 2017, up from $563 billion in 2015, growing more than twice as fast as overall tourism, according to the Global Wellness Institute: $639 billion

Forecast value by 2022: $1 trillion

Ranks of China and India on the list of countries with the highest recent growth, adding 22 and 17 million wellness trips, respectively, from 2015 to 2017: 1, 2

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Percentage of adults who would be comfortable working in an open office if they had access to a private space like phone rooms or small work areas, and if noise and distraction were limited, according to research commissioned by Coldwell Banker: 66

Percentage who say they would not be comfortable working in an open office if it meant multiple workers in one office or workspace: 52

Percentage of U.S. working adults who said their office could better utilize its physical space, with the top way being a better floor plan: 63

Source: Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates.

Percentage of rewards cardholders who say they earn the most rewards on grocery purchases, according to a new CreditCards.com report: 35

Percentage who say travel is their top-earning category: 27

Ranks of gas and dining on the list: 3, 4

Source: CreditCards.com.

Idle Thought

"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." -- Pablo Picasso

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

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