Telework in Australia –
Challenges and
Opportunities
Abul Rizvi, Deputy Secretary, Digital Economy
1
Presentation Overview
> Definitions of Telework
> Benefits of Telework
> Promotion of Telework
> Progress to date
> Opportunities and Challenges
Definitions of Telework
> Option 1:
– A form of flexible working which is enabled by
ICT and undertaken outside of a traditional
office
> Option 2:
– Paid employees who conduct their tasks from
home at least one day per week using
communications technology
> Option 3:
– Arrangement where an employee works from
home on a regular basis using ICT in the same
manner as in the traditional office
Benefits of Telework
> Employees
– Work/Life Balance
– Cost and time savings
> Employers
– Increased productivity
– Reduced costs of office accommodation
– Staff retention and attraction
– Improved morale
5
www.telework.gov.au
Promotion of Telework
6
What the Government is doing
> 2012
– Raised awareness of benefits
> 2013
– Training and skills for managers
and employees
> 200+ Telework Partners
Industries allowing employees to
use ICT to work away from the office
Source: Business Use of Information Technology survey,
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
% work from home
% other locations
8
Telework: SMEs
> Case study
– Active Billing
Source: MYOB Business Monitor, 2013
9
Why hasn’t telework taken off?
> Inadequate broadband
> Attitude of employers to telework:
– Aging workforce
– People with disabilities
– Women in the workforce
– Decline of regional populations
> Unbalanced focus of the debate
about congestion
Inadequate broadband
Broadband penetration and telework
Australians’ growing appetite for
bandwidth
Employer attitudes
Aging workforce
Australia
Total fertility rate
6,5
5,5
4,5
3,5
2,5
1,5
Colombia
Life expectancy at birth
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
Source: World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, UN DESA
15
People with disabilities
> In 2012 the ABS estimated that:
– Participation rate: 83%
– Disability participation rate: 53%
Source: Creating jobs through NBN-enabled telework, Deloitte Access Economics 2012
> Case study
– Department for
Communities and
Social Inclusion, SA
16
Women in the workforce
Source: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+), World Bank
75
65
Australia
Colombia
55
United States
Latin America &
Caribbean
OECD males
45
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
17
Regional population decline
% of pop. urban
% of pop. rural
Colombia
Australia
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Source: World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision and World Urbanization Prospects: The 2011 Revision, UN DESA
18
Debating traffic congestion solutions
Australia
2%
Investment in roads
Investment in public transport
Colombia
1%
Telework
36%
34%
63%
64%
19
Thank you
> For more information
– Visit:
• www.telework.gov.au
– Contact:
• [email protected]