Asked whether "remote work arrangements within your company increased, decreased or remained the same in the last three years," fully a third that such arrangements had risen. And those saying such arrangements had increased greatly totaled 11%. Only 4% saw a decrease, with 57% citing no change, and 7% saying the question didn't apply in their case.

"It's something that has been evolving every year for five or more years now," says Dawn Fay, district president of Robert Half International, the parent of staffing and consulting services firm Accountemps. "There's a host of reasons for it, and technology is the biggest" --- especially in broadband expansion and the development of collaboration software tools, says Fay, who is responsible for 15 Robert Half offices in New York and New Jersey.

On the cost-saving side, of course, corporate adopters can slash real estate, energy, and other outlays by reducing permanent offices and other operations in favor of remote workers. But the same activity is attractive to the many modern employees who seek flexibility in their work arrangements.

Indeed, a two years ago predicted that the 34 million U.S. telecommuting population at the time would "swell to 63 million by 2016," noting that the new commuters alone, "lined up five abreast would stretch from New York to LA!"