The study found that the downside of working from home include loss of social interaction, as well as issues around technology, such as system or backup problems, which would prevent the contractors from working and earning money.

'The access to decent broadband is [also] still a big issue,' says Thorns. 'Expansion of some of these areas of work is limited because of the fact that New Zealand is right at the bottom of the OECD in terms of broadband penetration.'

Another possible limiting factor has to do with security concerns.

'Security is a major issue when working in the digital field. And those problems are far from being solved,' says Thorns.

The positive aspects of working from home include flexible working hours, the ability for workers to manage their own time and the possibility of organizing work around family needs, says the study.