Recent technological and organizational developments are contributing to spatial reunification of home and work activities. Though it is a relatively new practice, and is thus used by only a small percentage of the workforce, telecommuting will become much more common in the near future. Telecommuting is the use of telecommunication and computer technologies to replace or reduce traditional commuting to the workplace. Telecommuters most often work in management and service jobs where there is little need for physical interactions with goods or people in the workplace. Most telecommuting occurs on a part-time basis, with part of the work week spent working in the traditional office and the other part spent working at home.
Estimates vary on the current level of telecommuting.
Quantifying telecommuters is difficult for a number of reasons. There is no single widely accepted definition of what telecommuting entails, and there are difficulties in counting telecommuters because not all telecommuters do so all the time. Some surveys do not differentiate between people that work at home in home-based businesses and those that telecommute from their homes. Finally, the sampling methods of some surveys are different enough to make comparison and averaging impossible. Given these limitations the estimates below vary accordingly.