How Broadband Is Helping with Jobs February 2nd, 2010
Portia Krebs

As the President’s State of the Union address made clear, jobs and the economy are a leading priority for 2010.  As lawmakers look to create new jobs for Americans, broadband is already making positive contributions on this front.  As highlighted on our video wall, here is a snapshot of the ways in which broadband is helping in today’s economy:

Landing a Job.  Thanks to the high-speed Internet, researching the job market and viewing opportunities well outside your local area has never been easier.  According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 41% of Americans conduct this kind of job research online.  And a CareerBuilder study indicates that 45% of companies vet candidates by viewing their social media pages.

Higher-Paying Occupations.  Consider this: average hourly earnings in telecom are 42% higher than in manufacturing.  Furthermore, Broadband Information, Communications and Technology-enabled occupations are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs in the U.S. economy.

Working Remotely.  Thanks to the high-speed Internet, telecommuting expands work opportunities, particularly for those living in rural areas.  Today, approximately 39 million Americans telecommute – a number that is expected to grow to 63 million workers by 2016.  But are telecommuters as productive as their in-office colleagues?  According to Cisco, 7 in 10 of the company’s telecommuting employees experience increased productivity.

Investing in America.  The rapid rise of broadband is due in large part to U.S. broadband providers investing more than half a trillion dollars in U.S. communications infrastructure from 2000 to 2008.  Pro-investment and innovation policies have helped promote this significant expenditure, and consumers have reaped the rewards.  As highlighted in the recent NextGenWeb.org blog, “Study Finds Network Regulation Has Adverse Impact on Jobs”, regulatory changes could slow Internet-driven job stimulus.

With more work to be done to revive our economy, broadband will continue to play an important role in connecting Americans with expanded job opportunities, regardless of where they live.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Benefits of Broadband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.