IDC predicts 60% of workers will be mobile by 2024

Per a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the number of mobile workers in the U.S. will increase from 78.5 million in 2020 to 93.5 million in 2024. By 2024, the IDC says mobile workers will account for 60% of the total U.S. workforce.

The IDC defines mobile workers as those whose companies provide mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.), to complete their assigned workflows. Mobile workers are broken into two core categories: information mobile workers and frontline mobile workers.

While an information mobile worker typically works from a single location and has dedicated computing resources. A frontline mobile worker performs client-facing or operational activities on site or in the field and requires mobile access to data, content, applications and workflows.

Currently, frontline workers account for 57% of the U.S. worker population. However, the IDC says only 49% of frontline workers use mobile devices, while 55% of information workers use mobile devices.

According to the IDC, the number of frontline workers in the U.S. will see little growth over the next several years as the industries that rely most on these workers recover from the coronavirus’s impact.

However, the IDC expects the number of information workers to see accelerated growth over the next 12-18 months, as the segment has proven less susceptible to the coronavirus’ immediate effects.

A recent IDC survey also found that 87% of U.S.-based organizations expect their employees to continue working from home three or more days per week once mandatory closures are lifted. Additionally, 90% of organizations say expect more workers will work from home in the future.

"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," said Bryan Bassett, senior research analyst for IDC.

"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," Basset continued.

Basset added that to satisfy mobile, remote and work-from-home workers’ needs, U.S. organizations indicated that mobile security and mobile management solutions will be top spending priorities to ensure workers are productive and secure.