Many U.S. tech workers eager to telecommute, survey suggests

Traffic backed up at a New Jersey Turnpike toll plaza in a file photo. More than a third of U.S. technology workers would accept pay cuts of up to 10 percent to work from home and avoid the expense of commuting to the office, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than a third of U.S. technology workers would accept pay cuts of up to 10 percent to work from home and avoid the expense of commuting to the office, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

In a poll of 1,500 technology workers, 37 percent said they would accept a salary cut if they could work from home, according to Dice Holdings Inc, which specializes in websites for technology and finance professionals.

That is slightly higher than the number of workers who answered "No way," saying the salary shouldn't change unless the work changes, according to the survey.

The average U.S. technology professional makes $74,570 per year, according to Dice.

About 7 percent of such workers already telecommute, the company said, but those jobs are largely limited to consulting firms.

"Since gas prices have been climbing, we haven't heard of any company opening up the telecommuting doors to tech professionals specifically," Dice said.

It said offering the chance to work from home can help companies win over hard-to-find specialists at a time when demand for technology experts is high.

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski; editing by John Wallace)