Mobile Workers Will Make Up 35% of Worldwide Workforce by 2013

Published: Tuesday March 1, 2011

MYT 12:09:00 PM


KUALA LUMPUR: The global mobile worker population is predicted to grow to 1.19 billion or 35% of the worldwide workforce by 2013, thanks to technologies such as desktop virtualisation that has enabled people to work from anywhere and on any device.

Such growth is also due to the fact that mobility of workforce makes a huge difference to both individual and organisational productivity.

"Workshifting", the ability to move work to a more optimal place, be it an office, home or a coffee shop, is becoming the way of life for today's tech-savvy worker, says the IDC 2010 report on "Worldwide Mobile Worker Population".

"Enabled by technologies such as desktop virtualisation, workshifting gives employees on-demand access to their work on the move or at a location of their choice, any time of the day. This concept applies to shifting workloads and processes to more optimal people or locations as well," said IDC.

Meetings can now be moved from the conference room to the web and organisations can support real-time collaboration between dispersed co-workers or overseas customers and partners.

Going forward, IDC said a good workshifting policy can aid recruitment and improve employee productivity and satisfaction, which in turn translated into better workforce retention.

It can also support diversity by making it possible to recruit the best talent globally.

As part of its workshifting policy, organisations can incorporate a "Bring Your Own Mobile Device" policy that would allow employees to bring their own device to work and use it interchangeably and securely for work and personal tasks.

"Organisations benefit from reduced hardware and operating costs while employees enjoy the benefit of more flexible work arrangements and the ability to work on their own terms," it added.

Without the stress of the daily commute or "9 to 5" timelines at the back of their minds, employees are able to give their full attention to their work.

With an aging workforce, a more savvy generation of workers calling for more autonomy in their devices, and with the Malaysian government pushing for more productivity-driven growth, embracing a workshifting model would be a competitive differentiator and was essential for enterprise success, it added. - BERNAMA

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