Numbers offer a lowdown on job front

Percentage of U.S. office supply customers who agree that a clean break room is directly related to the success of a business, according to a survey by Quill Corp.: 57

Percentage of respondents who say the "dirtiest" part of the break room is inside the refrigerator: 34

Percentage who say it's inside the microwave: 27

Source: Quill Corp. Contact Londa Della at 847-876-3143 or londa.della@quill.com.

Percentage of elders (adults aged 65 and older) who believe they owe their children an inheritance, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for a study by The Allianz American Legacies: 22

Percentage of baby boomers (adults aged between 40 and 59) who believe they owe their children an inheritance: 3

Source: The Allianz American Legacies. Contact Sabia Schwarzer at 202-785-3575 or sabia_schwarzer@azoac.com.

Average number of times candidates for employment in a law firm are interviewed before being extended an employment offer, according to a survey developed by Robert Half Legal: 4

Percentage of job seekers who lose out to their competition for having little or no knowledge of the company or firm: 37

Percentage of job seekers who lose out to their competition because of uncertainty of career plans: 24

Percentage who lose because of limited enthusiasm: 16

Source: Robert Half International. Contact Michael Weiss at 650- 234-6383 or michael.weiss@rhi.com.

Average starting salary for a chemical engineer, ranked as the highest-paying college major in the United States, according to a survey by the National Association of College & Employers: $53,813

Average starting salary for a computer engineer, ranked as the second-highest-paying major in the United States: $52,464

Average starting salary for an electrical engineer, ranked as the third-highest-paying major in the United States: $51,888

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Contact Andrea Koncz at akoncz@naceweb.org.

Number of vacation days that will go unused this year in the United States, according to data from Expedia: 421 million

Percentage of Americans who will not use all of their vacation: 31

Number of days the average worker will leave on the table: 3

Source: Expedia. Contact the press office at press@expedia.com.

Percentage of employees who say knowing what's expected of them is among the things they like most about their job, according to a survey by Sirota Survey Intelligence: 83

Percentage who say the competence of their immediate supervisors is among the things they like most about their job: 78

Percentage who say it is the type of work they do: 76

Source: Sirota Survey Intelligence. Contact Sal Vittolino at 610- 649-9292, ext. 102, or sal@buchananpr.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they have missed a family obligation because they've overslept, according to a Harris Interactive survey for Tylenol PM: 20

Percentage who have missed a class or meeting: 15

Percentage who have missed a test: 8

Source: Harris Interactive. Contact Kelly Gullo at KGullo@HarrisInteractive.com.

Percentage of American adults who say the increase in the price of gasoline will cause serious financial hardship for them and their families over the next six months, according to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs: 37

Percentage who say it will not cause a serious hardship: 26

Source: Ipsos - Public Affairs. Contact Michael Gross at 202-463- 7300 or Michael.Gross@ipsos-na.com.

Percentage of students finishing master's of business administration degrees this year who had job offers by mid-March, the highest figure since 2001, according to a survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council: 50

Percentage who had job offers at the same point in 2001: 64

Percentage who had job offers at the same point in 2004: 42

Source: Graduate Management Admission Council. Contact Bob Ludwig at 703-245-4302 or rludwig@gmac.com.

Average amount families with school-age children will each spend on back-to-school items, according to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGresearch: $443.77

Percentage decrease over last year's spending: 8

Overall estimated spending on back-to-school shopping this year: $13.39 billion

Source: BIGresearch. Contact Phil Rist at 614-846-0146 or phil@bigresearch.com.

John MacIntyre has been writing Figuratively Speaking since 1989. You can contact him by e-mail at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.

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