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 We've pulled together some numbers for IS managers facing the challenge of providing support and security for remote workers. We also hope these stats will be useful for telecommuters, would-be telecommuters and other curious folks.
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Telework Stats |
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9.3
million people telecommute at least one day each week |
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There are 16.5 million regularly employed teleworkers in the U.S. who telework at least one day each month. Of this number, only 9.3 million telework at least one full day per week. It should be noted that self-employed persons are included in these statistics and comprise about 9%.
Telework America, Behavior Research Center study (July 2000) - sponsor, AT&T
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44% of telecommuters work at
home less then one week per month. |
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IDC Report, Telecommuters and Technology
Use |
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Characteristics of home office
workers |
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Home workers are more often male, slightly better educated, older and higher paid than either
remote office workers or office workers. Not unexpectedly, their commutes
are slightly longer and their houses slightly larger.
Telework America
Click here for more.
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Projections and reality
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| There has been substantial growth in the
number of telecommuters, however, the numbers have not grown as rapidly
as projected because there has also been an increase in the number of telecommuter
exits.
IDC Report, Telecommuter Profile 2000. |
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Telecommuters or teleworkers
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Telecommuters are just one group of teleworkers. Other teleworkers include
mobile workers (road warriors), home business owners, corporate after-hour workers, and those dialing in to work from the local Starbucks.
"Telecommuting
(or Telework): Alive and Well or Fading Away?," International Telework
Association and Council, June 2001.
Click here for more.
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Who is telecommuting?
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| Telecommuting is most popular in both small firms and very large firms. Fifty-seven percent of telecommuters work either in firms of less than 100 people or large firms of more than 1,000 people.
IDC Report, Telecommuters and Technology Use, Office technology equipment.
Of those who telecommute more than one week each month, the most commonly owned pieces of office equipment, in addition to PCs, are fax machines, copiers, multifunction peripherals and scanners.
IDC Report, Telecommuters and Technology Use
Forty-six percent of these teleworkers pay for their equipment and its maintenance, with their employers covering all costs in only 29% of the cases.
Telework America 2000
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Internet access |
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Wireless, Big Winner
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118 million Americans have wireless phones - nearly four times the number owning wireless phones
in December 1995.
Cellular Telecommunications & Internet
Association.
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Internet access
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Over 80% of PC-owning telecommuters have Internet access.
IDC Report,
Telecommuters and Technology Use. High-speed Internet access is currently
installed in approximately 9 million U.S. households.
U.S. Electronics Organization.Although 70% of U.S. households are predicted
to have 'Net access by 2005, most will still be using dial-up Internet access.
Cahners In-Stat
Group.
Click
here for more.
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Broadband Distribution
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More than 30% of all broadband users in the U.S. live in the top five metropolitan areas. These cities are, in order, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle.
Neilson Net Ratings service.
Of the 9.3 million broadband customers in North America, 6.4 million use cable modems while only 2.9 million use DSL.
The Register (UK online news).
Most telecommuters and mobile users connect to VPNs via dial-up access. The forecast, however,
is toward broadband connections via cable or DSL. Also forecast is that
network outsourcing will be a major marketplace influence.
Insight Corp., report
on data VPNs 2000 - 2005.
Click
here for more.
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Commuting Time
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Workers prefer some commuting time between office and home, however, they usually say that they would prefer their commute to be shorter than it currently is.
Telecommunications and Travel Research Program, UC Davis.
Eighty percent of home-only telecommuters commute to work on days they are
not teleworking.
Their one-way commute distance averages 19.7 miles vs. 13.3 miles for
nontelecommuters.
The telecommuter's daily round-trip commute averages 63 minutes vs. 45 minutes for
nonteleworkers.
At least 80% of all the workers surveyed drive alone to work when they commute.
Telework America 2000, research results.
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Know of other resources that should be listed here? Mail your suggestions to Online
Researcher Elaine Valovic.
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