ITAC, the association for advancing work from anywhere, announced that the number of telecommuters 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.

The continued increase in home-based work in the United States was uncovered in the 2004 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted by The Dieringer Research Group.

According to the survey, of the 24.1 million who telecommute at least one day per month, 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.

Also showing growth was 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. The survey indicates that this group grew from 41.3 million in 2003 to 44.4 million in 2004, a 7.5% increase.

"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. “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 telecommuters (57%) occurred in medium-sized businesses (100 - 999 employees), with no change in the largest firms (1000+ employees).

The report also found a substantial increase in the use of broadband in the home for work. In 2003, 4.4 million telecommuters worked 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 telecommute as they became equipped with broadband.

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 Annual Conference. For additional details, please visit www.workingfromanywhere.org.