Telecommuting, Part-Time Work Increasing

Posted on May 5, 2006

A new report has found that more U.S. workers are telecommuting. The study also found more Americans are doing part-time work. There are also an increasing number of people that have telecommuting jobs and a second part-time job. Reuters reports that the study found 20 million telecommuting Americans and that about 1/6 of the workforce telecommute at least once each week.

The report showed one in six U.S. employees work from home at least once a week. Seventy percent of those telecommuters work for others, while 30 percent are self-employed, the chamber said, citing data from the Economic Policy Foundation.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed there were 25 million part-time workers and 10 million independent contractors. Some 10 million workers are self-employed and there are 24 million small businesses � 18 million of which are sole proprietorships with no employees, the report showed.
Direct selling for companies like Avon and Amway is done by 17 million Americans, often in addition to a regular job, it said, using data from the Direct Selling Association.
The Chamber said some people may fall into more than one category � such as a self-employed person who telecommutes or a part-time worker who also sells Avon products from home.

It is easy to see the telecommuting trend continuing to grow. It is a great perk for employees with gas prices high as they are and fears that they could go much higher.