Benchmarking the Use of Telework Arrangements in Canada

This paper uses data collected in 1999 and 2001 from over 20,000 employees and 6,300 workplaces by Statistics Canada and HRDC as part of their Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) to provide quality estimates of the number of teleworkers in Canada at the turn of the millennium. Characteristics of companies who offer telework arrangements and the employees who use them are also explored. These data will allow Canadian companies to benchmark their use of telework arrangements to national and international data. Such information is critical to both public and private sector employers, as abundant evidence exists to suggest that organizations that support the use of telework and other alternate work arrangements will be more able to attract and retain knowledge workers. Resume La presente etude est une evaluation du nombre des tele-travailleurs au Canada en ce debut de millenaire. Elle se sert des donnees collectees en 1999 et 2001 par Statistique Canada et la DRHC aupres de 20 000 employes et 6300 lieux de travail. L'etude examine egalement les caracteristiques des entreprises qui offrent des regimes de teletravail et des employes qui les utilisent. Les resultats permettront aux entreprises canadiennes de comparer leur utilisation des regimes de teletravail aux regimes nationaux et internationaux. Ces resultats seront d'autant plus utiles aux employeurs des secteurs prives et publics, que d'apres plusieurs recherches les entreprises qui utilisent le teletravail et les autres regimes de travail de rechange seront plus en mesure d'attirer et de retenir les travailleurs intellectuels.