The data are from a supplement to the May 2001 Current Population Survey. As the chart indicates, workers in some nonfarm occupational groups were more likely than others to work at home regularly. Persons who usually work at home at least once a week made up about one-third of all workers in professional specialty occupations; about one-fourth of those in executive, administrative, and managerial positions; and about one-fifth of those in sales jobs. In other occupational groups, the proportion who regularly worked at home ranged from about 5 to 7 percent, but more than half in these groups were compensated for their home work.

About 20 million self-employed and wage-and-salary workers usually worked at home at least once a week as part of their primary job. Home workers were about 15 percent of all workers aged 16 and older. But just under half of those, about 7 percent, received compensation for that work, either because they were self employed or because they had a special arrangement with their employer to be paid for working at home. "Unpaid" workers did not necessarily get nothing for the work they did at home; many are paid for their work at home through their regular salary, although they are not paid specifically for the home-based portion of their work.

To find out which occupations were most likely to involve work at home, see "Work at home" in the OOQ’s Grab Bag for fall 2002. Or, get even more detail from a summary of the survey supplement, available online at www.bls.gov/cps or by calling (202) 691-6378.