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NBN to spur more work from home

Changing attitudes: More bosses encourage working from home. Picture: Supplied

Faster broadband is likely to result in more West Australians working from home, leading to fewer congested roads and less crowding on trains and buses.

Sydney University Associate Professor Steven Greaves, an expert in transport management, said Australian workforces were at the cusp of major reforms because of improved broadband and changing attitudes of employers.

"A lot of employers have grown up in the internet generation and can appreciate that workers can be productive while working from home," he said. "And with space being a premium in many offices, it can be financially beneficial for a company to encourage workers to do so."

Professor Greaves was commenting on a survey of more than 4000 people for NBN Co, the company delivering the national broadband network, that found more people would work from home if they had a fast and reliable internet service.

In WA, the survey found almost half of those who already worked from home were constantly frustrated with the level of internet service, which often resulted in buffering when watching video and drop-outs when making video calls.

Professor Greaves said it was inevitable more people would work from home as West Australians overcame "poor connection challenges".

"Frustrated commuters who live in the suburbs and city outskirts stand to benefit most," he said. "They have the potential to significantly reduce the hours spent travelling to knowledge-based jobs traditionally located in Perth's CBD and business parks."

NBN Co spokesman Peter Gurney said there was no doubt the new broadband network would open up new ways of working.

The survey also found 81 per cent of West Australians could not imagine working without the internet and that most people who worked from home were male and earned more than $75,000 a year.