There has been an increase in the numbers of people working from home as the economy has changed over the past few years.

The trend for employment to come in the traditional form of a full-time office job has faded away somewhat as companies can no longer afford to take on as many employees due to the tough trading conditions.

A report from Professor David Bell, conducted for the Scottish Parliament's economy committee, explored the changes in working patterns in Scotland in particular.

It found that a large number of people have found themselves working fewer hours than they did in the years before the recession struck, while many people are also finding themselves on part-time hours.

However, there has also been an increase in "portfolio working", which means individuals who are undertaking two or more part-time jobs. This lends itself well to working from home and has been facilitated by the improvements in communication and technology that have taken place recently.

When under-employment becomes an issue something needs to be done to right the economy. But the new possibilities that working from home is affording people is ushering in more and more possibilities for workers.