Training stats. Stat!

A reader asks: Do you know or can you point me in the direction to get information regarding money spent on employee training? Basically I just want numbers like "the top companies spend $x per employee per year on training" or "for a midsized company you can expect to spend x."

Yes, I can.

The article below is from a new report (released in Feb) looks good. The attachment is interesting. Let me know if you want anything else!

This is older, but worth a glance:


Corporate Learning Budgets Rising, But Salary Spending Remains Flat, Says Bersin and Associates February 15, 2007

The corporate learning market continues to grow, with company budget increases averaging 7 percent, according to the Bersin and Associates' 2007 Corporate Learning Factbook. Total training spending grew from $51.1 billion in 2005 to $55.8 billion in 2006; spending on products and services grew from $13.5 billion in 2005 to $15.8 billion in 2006. While budgets have increased, salary spending over the last four years has remained relatively flat.

In 2005, 73 cents of every training dollar went to payroll expenses; in 2006, payroll expenses were 65 cents of every dollar.

Other findings from the study include:

• Learning technologies are widely used by companies of all sizes.
• Almost 60% of respondents use virtual classroom technologies, 40% have learning management systems, 25 to 30% use application simulation and rapid e-learning tools, and 14% use learning content management systems.
• The average spending per learner is $1,273. The highest spending sector is technology ($2,763) and the lowest is retail ($519).
• When it comes to learning programs, sales training and management/supervisory training are the program priorities for most learning organizations.
• Outsourcing continues to grow, with highest planned increases in custom content development and LMS hosting.

Bersin & Associates claims the study is the most detailed and up-to-date view of corporate learning and development available. Said Karen O'Leonard, research director for the study, "Our rigorous research methodology, combined with the extensive survey database we have built over the last few years, gives us a unique ability to quantify key metrics and provide fact-supported analysis of important trends."

Time spent listening.

A reader asks: What's the average time spent on listening to radio per day among people 25-34? Has it decreased over the past 5 years?

Yes, it has. But not as dramatically as you might think. Check this out:

Time spent listening overall has decreased by 3 hours and 15 minutes per week in the past 10 years. That is a lot. But the past 5 years have slowed, with a loss of just over an hour. So the biggest changes in total listening was from 1997 through 2002.

In looking at the demographic of most interest to our reader (thanks for sending such a great question, by the way!), we've compiled the data from years of Arbitron reports. Note that 2002 is missing. The trends look a lot like the above chart - steady decreases. Notice also, that men consistently listen more than women. (click on the chart and it gets nice & big!)

Who uses the public libraries?

A loyal reader asks: Does anyone go to the library anymore?

Oh reader! As huge library fans, we hope so.

Here's what we learned.

Pew Internet (we love those guys!) just came out with a new study. Evidently, of the 53 percent of U.S. adults who said they visited a library in 2007, Gen Y-ers (18-30 year olds) are the biggest users. Shocking. The study said that compared to the older folks, Gen Y members were the most likely to use libraries for problem-solving information and in general patronage for any purpose. And these young adults also say most frequently that they will use libraries in the future.

This is a good sign for libraries.

Read the study. You'll see that computers are a huge part of the library experience these days. No big surprise. But still, we at Scherer Cybrarian love libraries and were excited to see that the trends are positive. (Note: Our local library is always packed. So anecdotally, we felt good about this already!)

Another dataset to consider:

The first annual report on the State of America’s Libraries, the American Library Association says:

• Almost 90% of Americans are satisfied with their public libraries. Most agree that public libraries are under-funded and need more support.
• Libraries are keeping up with the times—and with the public's needs.
• Libraries are experiencing great local support and are growing and adding services and enhancements, including serious connectivity. State funding has decreased, and the public support has made the difference.
  
• 1.8 billion visitors checked out more than 2 billion items from U.S. libraries in fiscal year 2004.
• Circulation and participation at American public libraries continue to rise.
• Almost 2/3 of Americans have a library card.
  

Shop on.

A loyal reader asks: I admit it, I haven't finished my holiday shopping. (And don't tell me you did. I don't want to hear it.) How can I figure out what to get?

Oh reader, where have you been? Social networking has made the art of finding the perfect gift oh, so much easier. Check out these great networks:


ShopWiki is another community based wiki - all about products. It’s a good resource for quick background and price information on a wide-range of items. Prepare to waste some time here! It's fun to explore...

Crowdstorm is where you make better-informed purchase decisions based on the crowd's advice and recommendations.

ThisNext is real recommendations from real people.

Kaboodle is a social shopping community where people discover, recommend and share products. Kaboodle's powerful shopping tools allow people to organize their shopping through lists, discover new things from people with similar style, get discounts on popular products and find best prices. It works because it has over 2 million monthly visitors!

Etsy is a social marketplace for handmade items. The selection of items and active community contribute well to the overall shopping experience. Check it out for unique handmade art, jewelery and much more.

Wishpot allows you to easily create product wish-lists and share them with the community. Add items while you surf. Shop from the site. Really cool is the mobile integration so you can add items to your list from your cell phone, or take a photo of an item and add it that way.

Buzzilions is one of our favorites. It's a a shopping review site based on reviews real buyers. It's easy and intuitive. We like the search engine and the tag-like method for drilling down.

Osoyou has personalized product suggestions and other elements of social shopping. Drag and Drop stuff. Explore. It's fun. It's still pretty new, but we like it.

And if you just want a deal, check out:

Woot

Woot provides you with one product daily for sale, and people in the forums participate in active feedback and comparisons using the available product allowing you to make educated shopping decisions. The active community contributes to your shopping experience.

And Wendy swears by her RETAILMENOT extention on her Firefox. It shows whether there are coupons for any shopping site she comes to. Cool, huh?

Zippity Doodah.

A loyal reader asks: I'm working on a plan for a client and want to find the areas in Kansas with the highest percentage of married people. All I can think to do is pull those boring datafiles from the Census and that gives me a headache! Any suggestions?

No problem. This is easy peasy...

Just go to Skinny Zips and choose your criteria. The state and the married bullet. You have other choices too. And check out the site for more ZIP CODE FUN!

Top ZIP codes for selected area based on percent of population over the age of 15 which is currently married.

66734 FARLINGTON 88.50%
67128 RAGO 88%
67670 STUTTGART 87.20%
66930 AGENDA 86.60%
67639 GLADE 85.30%
66970 WEBBER 85.10%
66932 ATHOL 82.70%
67743 LEVANT 81.50%
67656 OGALLAH 79.80%
67868 PIERCEVILLE 79.50%
67041 ELBING 79.50%
66014 CENTERVILLE 79.40%
66221 SHAWNEE MISSION 79%
66220 SHAWNEE MISSION 79%
66438 HOME 78.60%
67351 LIBERTY 78.50%
66746 HEPLER 78.30%
66838 BURDICK 78.10%
67028 COATS 77.80%
66218 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.40%
67458 LONGFORD 77.40%
66226 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.30%
66224 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.10%
66077 POTTER 76.50%
66079 RANTOUL 76.20%
67205 WICHITA 76%
67235 WICHITA 75.80%
67134 SAWYER 75.70%
66775 STARK 75.70%
67065 ISABEL 75.50%
66223 SHAWNEE MISSION 75.20%
67882 WRIGHT 75.10%
67512 ALDEN 75%
67664 PRAIRIE VIEW 74.90%
67230 WICHITA 74.80%
67120 PECK 74.60%
66429 GRANTVILLE 74.50%
67522 BUHLER 74.20%
66543 VASSAR 74.20%
66409 BERRYTON 74%
74 FORT LEAVENWORTH 73.80%
67102 MAPLE CITY 73.80%
67647 LONG ISLAND 73.80%
66610 TOPEKA 73.70%
67422 BENNINGTON 73.60%
66008 BENDENA 73.50%
66515 MORRILL 73.50%
67341 DENNIS 73.20%
67520 BISON 73.20%
67144 TOWANDA 73.10%
67021 BYERS 73%
66085 STILWELL 73%
67112 NASHVILLE 72.90%
66618 TOPEKA 72.80%
66546 WAKARUSA 72.80%
66963 RANDALL 72.80%
67510 ABBYVILLE 72.70%
66412 BREMEN 72.60%
66939 COURTLAND 72.60%
67658 PARADISE 72.50%
67737 GRAINFIELD 72.50%
67745 MC DONALD 72.40%
67215 WICHITA 72.30%
66432 HAVENSVILLE 72.30%
67342 EDNA 72.20%
67073 LEHIGH 72.10%
67491 WINDOM 72.10%
66209 SHAWNEE MISSION 72.10%
66953 LINN 72.10%
67953 RICHFIEL 72%
67474 PORTIS 72%
66741 GARLAND 71.90%
66872 WHITE CITY 71.80%
67867 MONTEZUMA 71.70%
67857 KENDALL 71.70%
67122 PIEDMONT 71.70%
66541 SUMMERFIELD 71.70%
67416 ASSARIA 71.60%
66440 HOYT 71.50%
67066 IUKA 71.50%
67106 MILTON 71.40%
66524 OVERBROOK 71.40%
67150 WALDRON 71.40%
66514 MILFORD 71.20%
66070 OZAWKIE 71.20%
67626 BUNKER HILL 71.20%
67870 SATANTA 71.10%
67017 BENTON 71.10%
67673 WALDO 71.10%
67659 PENOKEE 71.10%
66842 CASSODAY 71%
67344 ELK CITY 71%
67838 DEERFIELD 70.90%
66516 NETAWAKA 70.90%
66617 TOPEKA 70.90%
67752 QUINTER 70.90%
67151 WALTON 70.80%
66840 BURNS 70.80%
67111 MURDOCK 70.80%
66507 MAPLE HILL 70.80%

And in comparison...

A loyal reader asks: What do you think of Rachel Ray? Is she a force of good or evil?

We love the answer from the July-August 2007 Shopper Report
by Mona Doyle

Rachael Ray is empowering some shoppers to cook with more freedom and have more fun than they have had in some time. Watching her facilitates a certain amount of abandon in mixing flavors and using hunches and appetites to direct kitchen behavior.

What she is doing is changing cooking from tedious work to play! With apologies to the memory of Julia Child, there are similarities in their empowerment of women in the kitchen. Julia empowered women to understand how difficult recipes worked and gave them the freedom to try them, understand them, and depart from them and still turn out wonderful foods. Rachael Ray communicates the pleasure of cooking from your head and your stores, your fridge, and your pantry. Some retailers are playing into this, helping their shoppers be better cooks by providing "ingredients for your next inspiration"--I'm quoting myself there, but that is what I see happening, with sauces and mixes that are almost magical in their ability to help consumers create wonderful smells and tastes with a dollop of X and a few spoons of Y.

Wegmans does an especially good job of this with products like "Mirepoix" which it offers in several package and chunk sizes. Mirepoix is nothing more, or less, than diced onions, carrots, and celery--a combination which forms the basis of much French cooking. Add a package to a can of soup or sauce and create wonderful flavor and an aroma that equals fresh bread in the oven.

* "I think Rachael Ray is bringing fun back into cooking."

* "I don't think she is making people more casual about cooking, but getting more folks into cooking because she makes it casual."

* "I am a huge fan of hers, and simply put ......... she is easy to relate to, because she is NOT a chef, and has a spirit about cooking, and a reality about cooking that brings the 'ease' of creating a 30-minute meal (I am not that quick) to the table that is delicious and eye appealing. Her meals are made with a common household kitchen flare, and ingredients accessible at any and all local markets. No gourmet here."

* "I think her show is proving that you can have a decent meal on the table in 30 minutes or less. With so many women working these days, this show has a great impact on those of us that put in a full day working."

* "She IS fun and casual. My feeling is that she is not too uptight about it and should be helping people, especially a person newly on his or her own."

Full bibliography for this article: Mona Doyle "Rachael Ray's impact". Shopper Report, The. July-August 2007. FindArticles.com. 31 Oct. 2007.

See back issues and sign up for the Shopper Report RSS by going here.

ID Fraud

A loyal reader asks: How big is identity fraud online, what are the trends, and should I be concerned?

There is a lot of info out there on this. But here's a great synopsis by the nice folks at ITFacts.

3.7% of Americans were victims of identity fraud in 2006

Approximately 500,000 fewer adults in the United States fell victim to identity fraud in 2006 than in 2005. Of America's overall adult population, 3.7% were victims, as compared to 4.0% in 2005. This demonstrates a continued year-over-year decrease since data was first collected in 2003 when 4.7% of the adult population was victimized. In terms of total dollars, identity fraud in 2007's report dropped by an estimated 12% over the previous year, from $55.7 bln to $49.3 bln. New account fraud dropped from 1.5% of all respondents in 2006 to one% in 2007. When fraudulent accounts are opened, many victims caught the fraud more quickly utilizing online channels, such as the viewing of statements, resulting in average fraud amounts dropping from more than $10,000 in 2006 to $7,260 on average in 2007.

The overall adult population of the United States reported a fraud rate of 3.7%. Younger adults between 18 and 24 reported a much greater incident rate of 5.3%. Additionally, more than half of these victims reported knowing their perpetrators, which could include friends, neighbors or in-home employees, as compared to just 23% of overall respondents, Javelin says

***So consumers are getting smarter, financial institutions and others are improving their services in this realm. Overall, things are getting better.

Should you be concerned? Of course! Be careful. Purchase from reputable companies. Protect your information. Install a firewall if you don't have one already. Change your passwords regularly. Don't use obvious passwords. Be smart. One great service we use is one-time credit card numbers. They've been around for a while - but many people don't know about them.