Posted on: Sunday, January 14, 2007
The few who make New Year's resolutions take them seriously
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of workers who made career-related resolutions at the beginning of 2006, according to a survey developed by Accountemps: 12
Percentage of those who were successful in achieving their goals: 72
Percentage of respondents who named skills enhancement as their priority for the new year: 24
Percentage who named earning a raise as their priority: 22
HARVARD IS CHEAPER
Rank of George Washington University among the most expensive colleges in the United States, according to a study conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education: 1
Average cost of annual undergraduate tuition (four-year degree) for the 2006-07 year at George Washington: $37,820
Average undergraduate tuition for the 2006-07 year at a private university: $22,218
SLAVES TO TECHNOLOGY
Percentage of respondents who claim they bring their work-related cell phones on vacation, according to findings from the "2006 Sprint Productivity Survey": 93
Percentage of Americans who say they have achieved a work-life balance: 73
Percentage who say they are more productive today than two years ago: 67
Percentage of respondents who report technology is vital to their productivity: 84
PARENTAL PRIORITIES
Percentage of travelers who say they would take their children out of school for a family trip, according to a study conducted by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell: 61
BALKY SITES COST SALES
Percentage of shoppers who will simply abandon an online store after three or fewer unsuccessful experiences to complete a purchase, according to the "Gomez Online Holiday Shopping Survey": 90
SANDWICH THIS
Estimated value of the 2005 sandwich market — clubs, gyros, melts, po'boys, muffalettas, wraps, etc. — according to "Sandwiches in the U.S.: Foodservice and Retail Market and Trends," the market research from Packaged Facts: $121 billion
Percentage of the total U.S. food-service sales accounted for by sandwiches: 25
ONE CHECK FROM GRIEF
When asked how difficult it would be to meet your current financial obligations if your next paycheck were delayed for a week, the percentage of Americans who replied "very difficult" according to the fourth annual "Getting Paid in America" survey: 27.89
Percentage who said, "not at all difficult": 13.33
OPTIMISM ABOUT JOBS
Percentage of the U.S. work-force who expect their job prospects and the employment market in the coming year to be as good as, if not better than, in 2006, according to a survey by Hudson: 78
Percentage of employees who believe it is very or somewhat likely that they will be actively seeking a new job over the next 12 months: 39
Percentage of workers who believe that getting a degree is the best way to improve their employment opportunities: 25
UNINTENDED REFERENCES
Percentage of hiring managers who say they have used Internet search engines to research potential employees, according to a www.CareerBuilder.com survey: 26
Percentage who say they have used social networking sites in their candidate-screening process: 12
Of those hiring managers who used Internet search engines to research job candidates, percentage who did not hire the person based on what they found: 51
PANAMA'S BONANZA
Approximate number of jobs expected to be created by the new $5.25 billion Panama Canal Expansion Proposal, according to the Panamanian government: 40,000
Number of employees of the canal now: 8,000
IDLE THOUGHT
"Fortune does not change men, it unmasks them."
— Suzanne Necker, author
