One in eight workers in the West Midlands regularly work from home, according to new analysis published by the TUC to mark the tenth anniversary of National Work from Home Day, which is organised by Work Wise UK.
The analysis shows that since 2005 homeworking in the region has increased by nearly 44,000, taking the total to 320,661. The TUC says that homeworking has grown from 11.1 per cent of the region’s workforce a decade ago to 12.3 per cent in 2015.
The TUC estimates that a further 155,000 workers in the West Midlands would like to work from home but are currently unable to do so.
According to the TUC analysis popular industries for homeworking in the UK are information and communications (17.7 per cent), the scientific and technical sector (16.0 per cent) and real estate (14.4 per cent).
By contrast, only 7.0 per cent of retail staff work from home, says the TUC.
TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Barron said: “These figures show how hundreds of thousands of people in the region have embraced homeworking. This has allowed to them to enjoy a better work-life balance and save time and money on costly commutes.
“Employers who offer the option of homeworking often say that it improves staff retention and productivity. However, we need more bosses to follow suit. The TUC estimates that there could be as many as another 155,000 people in the West Midlands who would like to work from home.
“National Work from Home Day is a useful reminder for employers of the importance of flexible working and how it can improve engagement and performance at work.”
