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Telework and Time Use in the United States

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  • Pabilonia, Sabrina Wulff

    () (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

  • Vernon, Victoria

    () (Empire State College)

Abstract

Remote work is rapidly increasing in the United States. Using data on full-time wage and salary workers from the 2017–2018 American Time Use Survey Leave and Job Flexibilities Module, this paper examines the characteristics of teleworkers, the effects of teleworking on wages, and differences in time-use patterns between office and work-at-home workdays. We find that some teleworkers earn a wage premium, but it varies by occupation, gender, parental status, and teleworking intensity. Teleworkers also spend less time on commuting and grooming activities but more time on leisure and household production activities and more time with family on work-at-home days.

Suggested Citation

  • Pabilonia, Sabrina Wulff & Vernon, Victoria, 2020. "Telework and Time Use in the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 13260, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13260
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    Cited by:

    1. Oksana Leukhina & Zhixiu Yu, 2020. "Home Production and Leisure During the COVID-19 Recession," Working Papers 2020-025, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    2. Kalenkoski, Charlene M. & Pabilonia, Sabrina Wulff, 2020. "Initial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Employment and Hours of Self-Employed Coupled and Single Workers by Gender and Parental Status," IZA Discussion Papers 13443, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. James Lennox, 2020. "More working from home will change the shape and size of cities," Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre Working Papers g-306, Victoria University, Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre.
    4. Luca Bonacini & Giovanni Gallo & Sergio Scicchitano, 2021. "Working from home and income inequality: risks of a ‘new normal’ with COVID-19," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 303-360, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    working from home; telework; telecommuting; commuting; home-based work; alternative work arrangements; work-life balance; time use; wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation

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