A New Kind of Employee: The Digital Nomad [Infographic]

Many in the business world aren’t sure what this phrase means. Terms like “telecommuter” or “remote worker” are more common. Essentially, they all mean the same thing: someone who does their job online (or, occasionally, over the phone) from their location of choice instead of going into an office each day.

The reason for the shift in terminology may reflect a new emphasis on how remote work and travel can be tied together. While many modern telecommuters simply work from a home office, an increasing number are moving long term to international locations or working remotely while exploring multiple new places. For these workers, being a digital nomad is a lifestyle, not just a type of job.

While digital nomadism started out as an option mostly among programmers, writers, and other “back-of-house” and creative positions, the number of salespeople, marketers, customer service agents, and personal assistants working this way is increasing. In fact, Peter Levels of Nomad List predicts that in the next 20 years, more than 1 billion people will be digital nomads, all thanks to technologies such as cloud computing and cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.

Infographic source: salesforce