For Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, PSRC examined telework behaviors in the central Puget Sound region.
Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Census data from 2021 shows that 38% (around 136,000) of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the central Puget Sound region worked from home during the pandemic.
AAPI workers in King and Snohomish counties have the highest telework percentages, with 43% and 23%, respectively. For King County, that is nine times higher than the rate in 2019. It’s five times higher in Snohomish. Kitsap and Pierce have relatively lower rates, coming in at 13% and 11%.
The difference among ethnic groups is also highlighted through this data. Asian Indians have the highest telework rate at 60%. They are closely followed by Taiwanese at 58%, Pakistani at 53% and Chinese at 52%.
While some AAPI groups have high work-from-home rates, Native Hawaiians, Cambodians, and Filipinos have the lowest telework rates at 10%,16% and 20%, respectively. This, in part, could be due to immigration and the diversity of backgrounds and circumstances.
Find out more about telework habits for Asian and Pacific Islanders in this Puget Sound Trend