Here at Tier One we have noticed an upswing of candidates who either work remotely or have expressed interest in doing so. For many industries (mostly the tech industries) this is already the norm but since we work primarily with candidates from the manufacturing industry, this trend has been unexpected. Here is a look at the latest workforce industry patterns as they relate to employees working remotely.
Before diving into the stats, there is a need to make a distinction. The more established terms for remote work are “telework” and “telecommuting”. Both mean the substitution of technology (phone, email, video chat etc.) for travel but there is one difference. Telework includes bringing work home or checking work emails while at home. Telecommuting more specifically means using technology instead of commuting to work (source: GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com). This article will focus on the telecommuting aspect of remote work.
According to Globalworkplaceanalytics.com, the number of employers offering flexible workplace options in 2017 compared to 2012 rose by 40%. Regular telecommuting grew by 115% in the past decade, nearly 10 times faster than the rest of the workforce. This statistic does not include those who are self-employed. This information is based off of the America Community Survey (ACS) produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.
While Manufacturing is not one of the top industries hiring remote workers, the industry has seen an increase of employees who are spending at least some of their time working remotely. Between 2012 and 2016, there has been a 4% rise of remote work in the Manufacturing/Construction industries (see chart below, source: nytimes.com)