WORK AT HOME GROWS IN PAST YEAR BY 7.5% IN U.S.
USE OF BROADBAND FOR WORK AT HOME GROWS BY 84%

Results Presented by ITAC from The Dieringer Research Group's 2003 - 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey

SILVER SPRING, MD- September 2, 2004 - Today ITAC, the association for advancing work from anywhere, revealed continued increases in home-based work in the United States, as uncovered by the 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted by The Dieringer Research Group. According to the survey, the number of employed Americans who performed any kind of work from home, with a frequency range from as little as 1 day a year to full time, grew from 41.3 million in 2003 to 44.4 million in 2004, a 7.5% growth rate.

Further, teleworkers who worked at home during business hours at least one day per month increased in the past year from 23.5 million to 24.1 million, a 2.6% increase. Of that 24.1 million, 16.5 million are self employed, a 4.4% increase over 2003. This 24.1 million represents 18.3 percent of employed adult Americans, nearly one-fifth of the workforce.

"As our nation takes time to enjoy the upcoming Labor Day weekend, it is encouraging that so many millions of working Americans have the flexibility to better balance their work and family demands,” said Tim Kane, President of ITAC and with Deloitte. “At the same time, thousands of employers are finding telework is also good for them as a result of improved productivity and the cost savings from reduced overhead."
Interestingly, the greatest increase in the number of teleworkers (57%) occurred in medium-sized businesses (100 - 999 employees), with no change in the largest firms (1000+ employees).

The report also found increasing use of broadband in the home for work. In 2003 there were 4.4 million teleworkers working at home with broadband. By 2004 the number soared to 8.1 million, an 84% increase. The new figures support the findings of the AT&T Foundation supported Telework America 2003 research, Teleworking Comes of Age with Broadband, which predicted that more workers would telework as they became equipped with broadband.

What is the probable reason for this dramatic broadband growth? For most information-type jobs, the addition of broadband equips the home office equally as well as the employers’ cubicles. “I can be sitting at home and it’s like being in [the] office” was a typical comment in last year’s report. The study, conducted by Joanne H. Pratt, found that “being equipped with high-speed “always on” broadband, teleworking employees work more flexibly and productively at home” and that broadband teleworkers have significant interest in working at home full time. Also employers may realize an annual per employee savings of $5,000.

Telework refers to work independent of location. Broadly defined, anyone who works at home, at a client's office, in a satellite office or a telework center, or on the road can be considered teleworking; the Dieringer research results announced by ITAC focuses on home-based telework.

More findings from this research conducted by The Dieringer Research Group for ITAC as well as presentations on the latest developments in broadband technology will be featured at ITAC’s September 20 & 21 Annual Conference. For additional program details, please visit www.workingfromanywhere.org.

About The Dieringer Research Group
Based in Milwaukee and founded in 1974, The Dieringer Research Group is a marketing information and consulting company. The American Interactive Consumer Survey is the longest running primary research survey of U.S. Internet user and multi-channel consumer behaviors and trends. For more information, visit www.thedrg.com.

About ITAC
On January 1, 2005, ITAC became the Telework Advisory Group for WorldatWork. Prior to this year, ITAC was the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC). As part of WorldatWork, ITAC continues its mission of advancing the growth and success of work independent of location through groundbreaking research such as this year’s Guide, an annual conference held every September and monthly e-mail communications to its members on the latest developments in telework. Information on ITAC and its activities is available on the Web at www.workingfromanywhere.org or by telephone at 301-650-2322.

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