According to Point Topic, the market for products aimed at those working from home constitutes a significant opportunity for broadband services, Point Topic's first Broadband User Survey confirms. According to the BBUS results there are some 4.3 million households, 18 percent of all homes in the UK, with someone working from home. 70 percent or 3.1 million of these use the internet as a working tool. The figures show a total of 5.4 million individuals working from home, 70 percent of them, 3.8 million individuals using the internet at home.
The Point Topic survey found the majority of home workers were self-employed, more likely to be male with professional or managerial occupations and be based in a London suburb or prosperous town. The highest use of home working was in London and the south east. Looking in more detail the BBUS results demonstrate that home workers fall into three broad categories: Freelancers, who are self employed with no employees. These make up 50 percent (1.9m) of all home working individuals and are distinguished from the second main group: Teleworkers, who make up 42 percent (1.6m) of home workers. Teleworkers are employees of enterprises with separate premises; finally the third, much smaller group of 0.3 million (8 percent) which are Home SMEs, running a business from home with employees.
The typical profile of the homeworker that emerges from the survey is of a family person, usually male (more than twice as many males use the internet for work at home as females) between 25 and 54 years old, and with a professional, managerial or technical occupation. Typically they have more than one computer at home and have been using the internet at home for four years, with broadband for two years. The survey suggests that the home worker is a more knowledgeable, security conscious, high spending and demanding customer than the non-home worker.
The Point Topic survey found the majority of home workers were self-employed, more likely to be male with professional or managerial occupations and be based in a London suburb or prosperous town. The highest use of home working was in London and the south east. Looking in more detail the BBUS results demonstrate that home workers fall into three broad categories: Freelancers, who are self employed with no employees. These make up 50 percent (1.9m) of all home working individuals and are distinguished from the second main group: Teleworkers, who make up 42 percent (1.6m) of home workers. Teleworkers are employees of enterprises with separate premises; finally the third, much smaller group of 0.3 million (8 percent) which are Home SMEs, running a business from home with employees.
The typical profile of the homeworker that emerges from the survey is of a family person, usually male (more than twice as many males use the internet for work at home as females) between 25 and 54 years old, and with a professional, managerial or technical occupation. Typically they have more than one computer at home and have been using the internet at home for four years, with broadband for two years. The survey suggests that the home worker is a more knowledgeable, security conscious, high spending and demanding customer than the non-home worker.