A recent AdvisorSmith study ranked New Hampshire ninth in the nation when it comes to percentage of the population with outstanding student loan debt. According to the study, 14% of Granite Staters are paying off student loans. The average balance? $34,353.

HERE’S some food for thought: Research from Elements Global Services, a HR tech and services company, found that 74% of those who work remotely voiced concern about their employer monitoring when and how much they work. And 76% who use a computer are concerned about their employer monitoring their communications — in fact, 64% said they have deleted browsing history at some point. Some 53% said they have deleted a Slack or similar instant message so it cannot be seen by a boss.

NEW HAMPSHIRE is ranked as the ninth hardest-working state in the country, according to a WalletHub study. The state was cited for having the second-highest rate of employment (behind Nebraska) and the fifth-highest rate of youth employment. Overall, the study found, Americans put in an average of 1,767 hours per year of work so far in 2021 — 435 hours per year more than Germans but 357 fewer than Mexicans.

LABOR shortages and inflation fears appear to be dampening the economic outlook of top business executives, according to the thirdquarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey. According to the survey, 51% of the executives were optimistic about the U.S. economy over the next year — a steep drop from the second quarter, when 70% were optimistic.

A survey from asset-management research firm Cerulli Associates found that a large number of investors say they put a higher preference on companies that pay fair wages to employees. Overall, 49% said they prefer to invest in companies that have a positive social or environmental impact, up from 43% in 2019. But a majority, 65%, said they prefer investing in companies that pay their workers