The number of teleworkers in the US is on the rise, and it is predicted that there will be 30 million teleworkers by 2004, according to survey results released by the International Telework Association & Council (ITAC) during a conference held on ITAC’s Telework American Day. (For full coverage of the conference, see “Teleworkers in US reaching new highs, says ITAC report.”)
According to the study, teleworkers tend to be older, more seasoned employees who often see teleworking as an attractive means of improving family life while maintaining their careers. Teleworkers tend to be over 25 years of age, with the average home-only teleworker in his/her early 40s. They are categorized into three main types, based on location when teleworking:
- Solely home-based (89 percent).
- Solely telework-center based (7 percent).
- Home and telework-center based (4 percent).
Teleworkers are slightly more prone to be urban area dwellers rather than live in rural areas or small towns. The survey shows that teleworking is most common in the manufacturing, business services, construction, banking, insurance, transport and communications industries. However, essentially every industrial sector in the U.S. has teleworkers.
ITAC can be reached at www.telecommute.org.
