The analyst, IDC, has forecasted that the U.S. mobile worker population will grow at a steady rate to reach 60% by 2024. Mobile workers come in two varieties: Information Mobile Workers who typically work in an office but can use technology to continue working elsewhere and Frontline Mobile Workers who perform client-facing and operation activities that require mobile access to data
The number of U.S. mobile workers in 2020 stands at 78.5 million and is expected to climb to 93.5 million in 2024. The coronavirus pandemic has had a large part to play in this shift according to Bryan Bassett, senior research analyst at IDC, who said:
“COVID-19's disruption of the U.S. labor force has had a dramatic impact on how large businesses operate and will continue to shape how and where people work in the months to come. The ability to quickly mobilize different segments of a company's workforce with capable and secure mobile solutions has never been more important, and U.S. organizations are signaling that investment in mobile-based management and security solutions will take precedence in 2020 and beyond.”
Discussing exactly how these segments will grow, IDC said that frontline mobile workers make up the majority of working in the U.S. This segment isn’t likely to see much growth due to the effects of COVID-19.
Information mobile workers, on the other hand, will become more widespread in the economy and are expected to increase in number in the next 18 months. This segment of society will be responsible for increasing the number of people that work from home, a working style that will become more prevalent in the future, according to the analyst.
