Originally Posted by Dude
Originally Posted by ultramarina
I'm not sure it's true that employers are backing away from telecommuting--do you have a cite on that? AFAIK, it continues to increase.

It's not scientific or anything, but I'm basing that statement on a number of recent news articles I've seen, like this: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-25/what-people-really-do-when-theyre-working-from-home

The attitudes of my own employer are also a factor.

Many of the white collar workers I know, working in finance, technology, and pharmaceutical companies (I'm in MA) do a substantial amount of their work at home. Doctors have done so for a long time when they are "on call", and nowadays they use online programs to access patient records, make notes, and order prescriptions.

The correlation between high salaries and high costs of living discussed upthread does exist, but there is a trend in finance for some midlevel jobs to move to lower-cost areas, not just to foreign countries but to cheaper areas in the U.S.:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/business/finance-jobs-leave-wall-street-as-firms-cut-costs.html
Financial Giants Are Moving Jobs Off Wall Street
By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ
New York Times
July 1, 2012