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Home-based working using communication technologies
This article explains how teleworking is defined and measured in the LFS and describes recent trends in teleworking, and the characteristics of teleworkers.
Authors: Yolanda Ruiz, Annette Walling
Labour Market Trends, vol 113, no 10, pp 417 - 426. ISSN: 1361-4819
In spring 2005 around 2.4 million people worked mainly from home using both a telephone and a computer to carry out their work (teleworkers). Most teleworkers (1.8 million) work mainly in different places using their home as a base. Relatively few (0.6 million) work mainly in their own home. The total number of teleworkers has increased by 1.5 million (more than 150 per cent) since spring 1997. Some 8 per cent of the workforce were teleworkers in spring 2005, compared with 4 per cent in spring 1997.
Most teleworkers are self-employed (62 per cent), with employees and unpaid family workers accounting for 36 per cent and 2 per cent of teleworkers respectively. Some 41 per cent of self-employed people, but only 4 per cent of employees, were teleworkers in spring 2005. Teleworking is most prevalent among workers in the building and construction trades.
The first part of this article looks at the concept of teleworking and explains how it is defined and measured in the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The second part describes recent trends in teleworking, and the characteristics of teleworkers, based on an analysis of LFS data. The variables analysed include employment status (employees, self-employed and unpaid family workers), sex, age, region of residence, occupation and industry.
Published in web format: 6 October 2005 at 9:30 am
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