The number of U.S. employees who worked remotely at least one day per month increased 39 percent the past two years--from approximately 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008--according to World at Work, a global human resources association.

Among the other findings of a survey commissioned by the organization: more Americans, and a higher percentage of Americans, telecommuted in 2008; occasional telecommuting is on the rise; the most common locations for remote work are home, car and a customer’s place of business; many workers not currently telecommuting think some of their job tasks might be suitable for remote work, but they usually are unwilling to give up pay in order to telecommute. The survey also finds that current telecommuters are most often 40-year-old male college graduates.