Some of the pioneering work in developing telework facilities
took place in the peripheral countries and regions of Europe.
The hope was always that more dispersed populations with
significant distance barriers to overcome would benefit most
from being able to telework.
The results have been mixed. While there has been
stronger growth in Scandinavian countries, further west
development has been slow by European standards. Ireland
has been to some extent a puzzle. Despite energetic early work
by telework pioneers, and Ireland's developing reputation as a
place for high-tech investment, progress has been below the
European average.
The exact picture has also been uncertain. There have been a
number of surveys that have attempted to count the number of
people teleworking in Ireland – usually as part of larger
European surveys. The 1999 ECaTT survey
calculated that there were 61,000 teleworkers in Ireland (4.4%
of the workforce), made up of 27,000 regular teleworkers with
the remainder occasional or supplementary teleworkers (i.e.
doing extra outside normal work hours) . These levels were below
the European average, with Ireland having one of the lowest
percentages of “regular” (at least one day per week) teleworkers
in the EU.
Similar results were found in the 2000 Eurobarometer survey.
This showed regular teleworking in Ireland at 2.4% of the adult
workforce, and occasional at 6.1%. European averages by contrast
were 5% for regular and 6.6% for occasional teleworkers.
New data
New data has now been published (February 2003) by the
Republic's Central Statistical Office. Questions were added to
the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) to find levels of
home-based workers outside of the large agricultural sector, and
among these who is teleworking.
We can summarise the QNHS data as follows:
| |
Wider definition |
% of workforce |
Narrow definition |
% of workforce |
| Teleworkers in Ireland |
59,200 |
3.5 |
38,700 |
2.3 |
| Teleworkers in Dublin |
21,800 |
4.0 |
15,300 |
2.8 |
The "wider definition" here refers to homeworkers who use a
computer with a telecommunications link for work. The "narrow
definition" is homeworkers who need a computer
with a telecommunication link for work. We're not sure how valid
this distinction is, but to some extent it makes comparisons
with definitions in other European countries easier.
All figures apply to the non-agricultural workforce. (These
were excluded from the calculations because of the high numbers
amongst the total in the sector who work from home - leaving
them in would skew the results.)
It is worth noting that the survey technique specifically
asked if people had worked from home during the previous working
week. This would not pick up many of ECaTT’s “supplementary
teleworkers”, and some of the extra teleworkers found in the
Dublin Telecommuting study. The CSO study was also carried out
in the summer holiday period, and acknowledges that it may have
missed out some homeworkers altogether as a result.
Other findings
Other headline findings (all references to teleworker here
refer to the narrow definition):
- 26,100 teleworkers are male (67%)
- 12,600 are women (33%)
- 39.5% of teleworkers live in the Dublin region
- 46.5% of teleworkers usually work from home
- 53.5% of teleworkers can then be seen as occasional
teleworkers (although the survey methodology has some problems
here)
- 79% of teleworkers fall into the managerial, professional
and technical occupational categories
- 72% of teleworkers have a tertiary level qualification
(workforce average is 41%)
- Teleworkers worked average 43.5 hour week (workforce
average is 37 hours)
- 40.3% of teleworkers are in the “Financial and Other
Services” sector
- 40% of homeworkers in the Dublin region are teleworkers –
much higher percentage that other regions (next highest 27% in
the South-West).
- 83.2% of teleworkers are aged between 20 and 44.
The conclusion from this is that teleworking is developing
pretty much as it has in the US and in the rest of Europe – as a
predominantly male, managerial/professional and urban
phenomenon. And this is kind of the opposite of the early
expectations about the value of telework to peripheral, rural
areas to which lower value process work could be outsourced.
A certain natural rate of increase can perhaps be expected as
the workforce ages. Currently very few people over 44 telework.
This probably also indicates that relatively few senior decision
makers currently telework – something that would appear likely
to change over time.
Why the slower progress?
Given that the Irish government has embraced high-tech
developments, having national policies for e-business and the
like, what is the reason for the slow uptake?
Commentators in Ireland focus in particular on the slow rate
of broadband roll-out and the high cost of telecoms.
Despite flagship developments like Ennis, the "Information Age
Town", which benefited from £15 million investment from Telecom
Eireann (now eircom) for ICT kit and connection, widespread
Internet connection is limited outside of Dublin, and the
promotion of telework has very much taken second place to the
promoting of e-business.
There are signs that this is beginning to change. The
government now actively promotes
e-work for
businesses, and is also promoting
work-life balance policies which in turn promotes telework
amongst other flexible work options. A national
Code of Practice for E-working has been developed. The Irish
tax authorities also have a
progressive policy in supporting e-working. And in
some ways, the advantages of being a pioneer are limited, as
it's often the second wave of people moving into a new field who
reap the benefits.
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