In fact, some estimate that there are currently 110 million users and that there will be 133 million by the year 2000. It has taken only seven years for the Internet to be adopted by 30 percent of Americans, compared to seventeen years for television and thirty-eight years for the telephone. The Internet allows employees who work from home or from a remote location to stay connected with offices and customers. An estimated 64 million Americans go on-line every month. A recent report by International Data Corp. projects that the number of U.S. home offices accessing the Internet will rise to 30.2 million in 2002 from 19.7 million in 1999.
Numerous surveys indicate that the use of telecommuting is growing.
However, estimates of the number of telecommuters in the U.S. vary because of definitional and measurement difficulties. More than 70 percent of those who did work at home in 1997 were members of married couple families. Not surprisingly, almost 9 out of 10 telecommuters and home workers were in white-collar occupations. Over 60 percent were in executive and professional occupations, while laborers and operators were least likely to work at home. About one-quarter of all persons working in the services, wholesale trade, and finance, insurance, and real estate industries worked some hours at home.