The total number of teleworkers – people who work from home or other remote locations for an entire day at least once a month – in the U.S. declined in 2010, according to the results of a WorldatWork survey.
The teleworking population in 2010 was 26.2 million, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. adult working population. That’s down from 33.7 million teleworkers in 2008. And while the total number of teleworkers decreased, the percentage of people who telework more often than once a month increased. In 2010, 84% of teleworkers did so one day a week or more, up from 72% in 2008.
“The decline in the number of people teleworking is likely due to a combination of things,” says Rose Stanley, work-life practice leader for WorldatWork. “The decline in the overall number of workers due to high unemployment appears to be a factor, along with the heightened employee anxiety over job security and a lack of telework.”
According to the survey, the typical teleworker is a 40-year-old, male college graduate who works from home. And while “home” maintained its position at the top of the list of common locations for teleworking in 2010, it experienced one of the biggest declines as a remote work location from 2008 to 2010. “Satellite center” and “hotel” trended upward from 2006 to 2008 to 2010, as did “while on vacation.”
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