Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company predicts that over 50% of the Global knowledge workforce will be working remotely by the end of the his year, with this shift in the work environment driving PC and Tablet shipments to over 500 Million Units for the first time ever.
Of the entire workforce worldwide, Gartner also estimates that over 32% will be working remotely in some capacity by the end of this calendar year, almost double the 2019 figure of 17%.
“A hybrid workforce is the future of work, with both remote and on-site part of the same solution to optimize employers’ workforce needs,” said Ranjit Atwal, senior research director at Gartner.
The adopting of a remote working model varies around the world depending on IT, culture and industry. By 2022 the U.S. will lead in terms of remote workers, with 53% predicted to work remotely for some part of the working week.
Across Europe, U.K. remote workers will represent 52% of its workforce in 2022, while remote workers in Germany and France will account for 37% and 33%, respectively.
The impact on the tech industry
This shift to remote working means a reassessment of every organisation and individuals IT infrastructure.
“Through 2024, organizations will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years. Those plans will have to adapt to a post-COVID-19 world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints,” said Mr. Atwal.
Digital products and services will play a big role in these digital transformation efforts. This longer strategic plan requires continued investment in strategic remote-first technology continuity implementations along with new technologies such as hyperautomation, AI and collaboration technologies to open up more flexibility of location choice in job roles.
A hybrid workforce will continue to increase the demand for PCs and tablets and digital products and services.
In 2021, PC and tablet shipments will exceed 500 million units for the first time in history, highlighting the demand across both business and consumer markets.
The cloud has become increasingly essential to enable remote workers. Gartner forecasts the worldwide spending on public cloud services will grow 23.1% in 2021. Social and collaboration tools will continue to be a growth area leading to the worldwide growth of social software and collaboration revenue market by 17.1% in 2021.
Gartner clients can read more in “Forecast Analysis: Remote and Hybrid Workers, Worldwide.”
