Remote Job Market Map

• Regular remote work grew 115% between 2005 and 2015, nearly 10 times faster than the rest of the workforce. 3.9 million U.S. employees, or 2.9% of the total U.S. workforce, work from home at least half of the time, up from 1.8 million in 2005.
• New England and Mid-Atlantic region employers are the most likely to offer remote work options.
• Boulder, CO has the highest remote worker population (14.9%). Jackson, MS has the lowest (1.5%).
• The average remote worker earns a higher median salary than an in-office worker.
• The average person can save at least $4,600 annually by working remotely.
• About equal percentages of men and women work remotely.
• Half of remote workers are 45 years of age or older, compared to just 41% of the overall workforce.
• Remote work is more common among employees over 35 years of age and most common among Baby Boomers.
• Approximately 53% of remote workers have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 37% of non remote workers.
• In more than half of the top U.S. metros, working remotely exceeds public transportation as the commute option of choice. It has grown far faster than any other commute mode. The average commute time in the U.S. is 26.1 minutes.
• Employers can save over $11,000 per half-time remote worker per year. Across the existing work-at-home population, that adds up to $44 billion in savings.
• Existing remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking over 600,000 cars off the road for a year.
• Half-time remote workers gain back 11 days a year—time they would have otherwise spent commuting.

Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act (proposed | telework). Introduced on July 26, 2018, by sponsor Gerald E. Connolly to improve Federal agency telework programs, and for other purposes.

Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (passed | telework). President Obama signed this act into law requiring all federal agencies to establish telework policies for federal employees.

Workflex in the 21st Century Act (proposed | workflex options). Introduced on Nov. 2, 2017 by Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) along with co-sponsors Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) Based on concepts originally developed by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to create a program in which employers that choose to offer their employees a minimum number of paid leave days per year and institute a flexible work arrangement would be exempt from current local and state paid leave laws. Opponents warn that while the bill claims to offer flexibility and improvements in work-life balance, it will just hand even more control over employees’ time to employers.

Working Families Flexibility Act of 2017 [H.R. 1180] (proposed | time off in lieu). Introduced in February 2017 by Rep Martha Roby (R-AL), largely the same text as the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2015 [S.233]. Passed in the House of Representatives on May 2 2017. Opponents warn that this bill unnecessarily trades compensation for flexibility, at workers’ expense.

Schedules That Work Act (proposed | right to request). Reintroduced in June 2017.

Flexibility for Working Families Act of 2017 (proposed | right to request). Introduced in May 2017 by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) , with the intention of giving workers the right to request flexible work (in terms of number of hours, schedule, and location of work), without fear of retaliation. Employers are required to give a written response.

Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act (proposed | portable benefits). Introduced in May 2017 by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), this bill would establish a portable benefits pilot program at the U.S. Department of Labor. It would authorize $20 million for competitive grants to states, local governments and nonprofits for pilot projects to design, implement and evaluate new models ($15 million) or assess and improve existing models ($5 million) for portable benefits for independent workers such as contractors, temporary workers and self-employed workers.

Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act of 2016 (proposed | telework tax law). Introduced in April 2016, this bill would eliminate what’s known as the “telecommuting tax penalty“—taxation by both the state in which a telecommuter works (from home), as well as the state in which their employer is based.

Working Families Flexibility Act of 2015 [S.233] (proposed | time off in lieu). This bill sought to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to allow employers to pay workers nothing for overtime work; instead, workers would get time off in-lieu of overtime payment. This time off would be granted at the employer’s discretion (for example, during less busy periods when co-workers can pick up the slack).

Schedules That Work Act [H.R.5159] (proposed | right to request). Introduced in July 2014, with the intention of giving workers the right to request a flexible, predictable, or stable schedule, without fear of retaliation.

Working Families Flexibility Act of 2007 [S. 2419] (proposed | right to request). This bill would have allowed employees to request from their employer a change in (1) the number of hours the employee is required to work; (2) the times when the employee is required to work; or (3) where the employee is required to work. Requests would be made without fear of retaliation.

NB: Our Election 2016 page kept tabs on the presidential candidates’ stances on issues related to work flexibility.
Source: 1 Million for Work Flexibility

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