Percentage of employees who said that they know what their core values are, and that they are consistent with their employer's, according to a nationwide telephone survey conducted by CO2 Partners: 44

Percentage who said that they know what their core values are, but that they are not always consistent with their employer's: 30

TAX BURDEN

Percentage of Americans who are confident their income tax return will be filed accurately this year — free from errors and taking advantage of all eligible deductions, according to a Zogby Interactive poll: 86

Percentage who still worry they might be audited by the IRS: 25

'SOFT' ATTRIBUTES

When hiring administrative staff, percentage of human resources managers who said they would hire an applicant with strong "soft" skills — including organization, verbal communication, teamwork, problem solving, tact, etc. — but whose technical abilities were lacking, according to a poll by OfficeTeam, www.HR.com and the International Association of Administrative Professionals: 67

Percentage of respondents who said they would hire someone who had strong technical expertise but weak interpersonal skills: 9

Percentage of HR managers who feel technical skills are easier to teach than soft skills: 93

LOST OPPORTUNITY

Percentage of Americans who now say that basic security — not opportunity — is their No. 1 concern, according to the results of "The Working American Dream Agenda," a survey released by Change to Win, a coalition of trade unions: 70

Percentage of workers, both college-educated and non-college-educated, who no longer believe the next generation will be better off: 80

MY AIRSPACE

Percentage of travelers surveyed who said they would pay a 10 percent premium to get a more comfortable and roomy airline seat, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 75

Aside from their seats, percentage of travelers who considered a roomy and clean bathroom as the most important in-flight comfort feature: 30

Percentage who consider a clean pillow/blanket their No. 1 comfort priority on a flight: 25

GAMERS ANONYMOUS

Percentage of U.S. youth gamers (ages 8 to 18) who can be classified as pathological or clinically "addicted" to playing video games, according to a survey by Harris Interactive: 8.5

Percentage of respondents who have felt "addicted to video games": 23

Percentage of youth who also report that their friends are addicted to games: 44

WORKING WOMEN

Percentage of professional women who describe themselves as "ambitious," according to a poll of women at PINK's six-city conference series: 95

Percentage of the women polled who said they had not asked for a raise or promotion in the past 12 months: 46

Of those who did ask, percentage who said they got one: 72

ROARING TWENTIES

Percentage of U.S. women who say that 21 to 30 is the ideal age, according to a survey conducted by Kelton Research: 35

Percentage who say 31 to 40: 28

Percentage who say 40 to 50: 14

Percentage who say under 21: 6

Percentage who say over 50: 9

CAREER TRENDS

Percentage of recruiters who saw a rise in the number of executives who are changing careers when faced with retirement, according to the Korn/Ferry: 58

Percentage of recruiters who indicated that there are at least the same number, if not more, such opportunities as there were 10 years ago: 84

When asked what types of new careers that executives are pursuing, percentage of recruiters who cited consulting projects: 80

Percentage of executives who went on to start their own businesses after leaving their former companies: 66

IDLE THOUGHT

"Humor may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic expression thereof."

— Stephen Leacock, economist and humorist

Contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.