How to Track the Economic Trends of Working Out of the Home
Corporations have discovered the cost savings and effectiveness of having their hired employees work from home. Since the invention of the Internet and high-speed communications, the opportunities to perform work at home have increased. One of the largest insurance companies in America, United HealthCare, has over 20 percent of their workers on an at-home basis. Other companies are finding the savings in office rent, utilities and other expenses worth giving remote or work-out-of-home employees a chance. There are trends that explain the expansion of work-at-home jobs and trends that point to continuing them.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Read the U.S. Census reports from the previous two Census filings. The most current is the 2010 Census. According to the 2010 Census report, approximately four percent of the American workforce worked at home. That means that over 5 and a half million Americans worked at home. In 2008, 5.9 million Americans considered their home as their principal place of work. Of the 5.9 million, 3.1 million were home-based businesses, leaving 2.8 million as employees of the non-self-employed population working at home for their employers on a full-time basis.
-
2
Read the World at Work research on the increase in the number of employers who are allowing their employees to work from home at least one day per month. According to this report in 2006, the number of part-time at-home employees rose from 9.9 million to 12.4 million, a 25 percent increase in one year. The rate of those employees surveyed who indicated that they "do not or never telework" has dropped by 24 percent since 2002.
-
-
3
Compare the number of teleworkers using broadband and high speed Internet to perform daily work functions at home. The survey by World at Work indicates that between 2005 and 2006, the increase of use of broadband services increased among the part-time (at least one day per month) at-home employees at a rate of 2.7 percent. For full-time employed teleworkers, this rate jumped from 51 percent to 67 percent. When much of the job being performed is over the phone or Internet, the physical location of the employee does not matter, since a majority of the work can be performed from home.
-
4
Note the increased use of modern technology for small businesses. As little as a decade ago, a company with a website meant that the company was large. Today, even the smallest companies have at least a homepage online. Employers use the Internet to find new suppliers, to advertise their product or services on a global scale, and to conduct sales through the use of online payment centers. Employers are using social networking websites to provide personal contact and relationships with their remote employees and customers. Search Facebook or MySpace for these business-related profiles, and you'll notice more and more businesses opting for online communication with a mobile populace
-
5
Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and note the steady increase in unemployment. It stood at just over four percent in 2008. In November of 2008, the unemployment rate jumped to over 6.5 percent, and began the steady and stubborn increase up to its current rates just short of 10 percent. The lack of economic activity that has frustrated many out-of-work professionals has led to an increase in unconventional employment opportunities, including working out of the home remotely.
-
6
Note the Bureau of Labor and Statistics study on the percentage of people who work at home on at least a part-time basis. The most up-to-date finalized study is the 2001 chart. The chart then indicates that, of those who did work at home, 63.9 percent of them were managers or professionals. 24 percent were technical or sales support. As the unemployment rate continues to increase, more professionals and managers will be able to find companies that need employees, but will pursue the remote employee option.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
There are a number of work-at-home scams which require a payment or some sort or access to your Paypal password. Do not ever divulge this. A legitimate company with real work-at-home opportunities will not charge you for working with them. A good example is Demand Media Studios and Amway.
References
- Photo Credit Grafico image by Eagle from Fotolia.com
