U.S. Mobile Workforce to Grow Twice As Fast General Workforce Through 2006.

Although the September 11 attacks and concern about the economy have prompted companies to scale back business travel over the past nine months, the total mobile workforce continues to grow. Composed of more than the classic “road warriors,” today’s mobile workers may just be visiting a nearby site or even a conference room on another floor. Regardless of where they work, today’s mobile worker has extraordinary access to resources made possible by the latest technology.

According to IDC, the number of mobile workers in the U.S. will increase by 12.7 million between 2001 and 2006, from 92 million to 105 million. In contrast, the number of workers who are not mobile will actually decline by 2 million through 2006, down to 53.8 million. This means that by the end of 2006 roughly two-thirds (66.0%) of U.S. workers will be mobile workers.

”We are just beginning the fourth stage of mobile working,” said Raymond Boggs, program vice president for IDC’s Small Business/Home Office services. “With portable PCs and cell phones in the 1980s and 1990s, mobile workers could stay in touch with customers and colleagues. Now with wireless networking and VPNs – virtual private networks – they have access to a full range of corporate resources.” Boggs noted that September 11 events changed the mobile working equation, with a decline in traditional business offset by an increase in telecommuting and the use of advanced technology to help mobile workers away from the office.

The Four Stages of Mobile Working Evolution, 1985–2006

“Advanced technology improves mobile worker productivity which leads to a broader mobility pattern and therefore more mobile working. This positive reinforcement is a key factor in the mobile population growth we expect over the next five years,” says Stephen Drake, program manager for IDC’s Mobile Infrastructure Software service.

Key Market Findings:

Mobile professionals will grow from 18.2 million in 2001 to 24.1 million in 2006, driving the most technology investment of any mobile segment.

Mobile non-travelers, the workers who rarely leave town but who are often in meetings or away from their desks, will be growing in number by 10% annually to over 13 million in 2006.

Occasionally mobile workers, who travel less than 20% of the time, are actually declining in number. But rather than retiring their carry-on luggage, a growing number of these workers are graduating to the next level and joining the more committed mobile professionals.

For more information at http://www.idc.com