Remote workers growing in number according to census data

In today’s workforce, how employees do their job is changing. You are as likely to see an employee sitting in a coffee shop using a tablet to check email and talk to clients as you are to see them sitting in a traditional office in front of a desktop computer with novelty mug. Mobile applications, gadgets and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) practices have shaken up what the modern workplace looks like.

The latest statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau proves as much. According to recently released data collected from 1999 through 2010, the number of employees that work at least one day a week from their homes rose from 9.5 million to 13.4 million – a leap of 2.5 percent of the entire workforce.

The real telling number is that there was an increase in adoption during the second half of the decade. That is not surprising as it coincides with the launch of the iPhone and the creation of the smartphone and tablet devices. The numbers for the last two plus years have not been released, but it is safe to assume that the number of people using mobile devices have increased, so too have the number of work at home employees.

“These changes in work patterns have both economic and social implications,” said Peter Mateyka, a Census Bureau analyst and one of the authors of the report. “Researchers and policymakers, including those in the fields of technology, transportation, employment, planning and housing, will find this report helpful in future transportation and community planning as well as technological trends.”

BYOD policies are growing and companies will need to embrace them. For implementation to be successful, businesses can lean on IT consultants like CTI Technology to ensure every aspect of a deployment is taken into account.

The latest statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau proves as much. According to recently released data collected from 1999 through 2010, the number of employees that work at least one day a week from their homes rose from 9.5 million to 13.4 million – a leap of 2.5 percent of the entire workforce.