Employment and recruitment featured heavily in survey-based stories on the ResponseSource Press Release Wire in October, as well as a few studies around awareness days and the clocks going back. Statistics and surveys are often just the starting point for your own story, so if one of these catches your eye, head over to the Journalist Enquiry Service to source experts, further research, images or case studies.

Older workers may be more popular with employers

Technology service company NTT Ltd says workers over the age of 30 have better cybersecurity habits than their younger colleagues. Its report found that 52% of younger workers would consider paying a ransom demand to a hacker, compared to just 26% of over-30s. Read the full story.

SMEs slightly favour older rather than younger candidates when recruiting, according to research for Benenden Health. Faced with the same CV, 36% said that they would be more likely to recruit a 55-year-old while 20% said they would choose a 24-year-old. The survey also looked at employees, finding that 56% of Generation Z employees (16-23 years old) felt they’d missed out on a job because of their age, as opposed to 29% from Generation X (39-54 years old). Read the full story.

Employment practices need some work…

workingmums.co.uk and workingdads.co.uk have released their annual survey results, with a focus on men’s careers. Findings include that around half of working fathers feel parenthood has slowed down their careers, two in five who had requested flexible working had been turned down, and one in four had taken time off work for mental health problems. Read the full story.

Employment screening company Sterling found that 55% of financial services recruiters assessed applicants for cultural fit occasionally or not at all, risking hiring staff who don’t fit their corporate values. Read the full story.

In a study of 600 global organisations, Alexander Mann Solutions and Aptitude Research found that just 29% of businesses believe brand plays an important role in digital transformation. Read the full story.

Recruitment consultancy WR Health says 77% of healthcare professionals are proud to work in their industry, but only 43% had confidence in their leadership team. More details on the survey of 16,670 employees here. Read the full story.

Surveys on health and home

Advice website Health & Her found that 70% of women had experienced perimenopausal symptoms in their 30’s and 40’s but 90% of those didn’t initially realise there could be a link. Read the full story.

32% of burglaries take place overnight, and 20% in the evening, says research from home security company Verisure. They also say that 13% of victims had left a ground floor door or window unlocked, and 16% had left one open. Read the full story.

Two stories from dogsblog.com around National Dog Adoption Day found that more than half of animal rescue centres say more dogs than ever are being abandoned, and 45% think owners getting dogs without fully understanding the responsibility involved. In a separate story dogsblog.com found that would-be dog owners spent an average of two minutes on a page before sending an enquiry to a rescue organisation, based on research on its own website. Read the full stories here and here.

The Press Release Wire is a fast, effective way to receive press releases from a range of PR agencies and businesses in all sectors. Around 1 in 5 contain survey or poll results that you can use to inspire features or blog posts. For more tips on evaluating data, see our June round-up.

If you’re a journalist evaluating research like this for a story and need an academic, business or other expert comment, the fast and free Journalist Enquiry Service can get you the information, insights and contacts you need within hours.