Survey shows two out of every ten workers in industrialized countries ‘hyperconnected’
About two in every 10 workers, sixteen percent of the workforce, in 17 industrialized countries can be described as "hyperconnected" for using at least seven devices for work and personal access to communication networks, a study conducted by market researched firm IDC revealed recently.
The survey, conducted with over 2,400 respondents from across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America also indicated that a “hyperconnected worker” could also be using at least nine applications, such as instant messaging, text messaging, Web conferencing and social networks.
Network-equipment maker Nortel Networks sponsored the survey, an article published in Information Week revealed.
Following closely behind the so-called “hyperconnected” workers was a larger second group of “increasingly connected” who composed 36 percent of the survey respondents, the article said.
Those belonging to the “Increasingly connected” group are defined as workers who use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access to broadband or cellular networks. These people used six or more applications, the survey said.
In a statement, IDC analyst John Gantz said that in next five years, 40 percent of the workers in the First World countries will be in the hyperconnected category.
“This means that the workforce isn’t just migrating towards hyperconnectivity—it is stampeding to it,” said Gantz. “Businesses that embrace this have an opportunity to increase productivity and improve their ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
The Information Week report said the countries with the highest percentage of hyperconnected respondents in the study were China and the United States; the lowest percentage in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The country with the highest percentage of increased hyperconnectivity was Russia.
Other findings of the survey revealed that nearly four in 10 workers said they would chose their mobile phones over wallets, keys, laptops, and MP3 players, if they had to leave the house for 24 hours. Less than 30 percent chose their wallets first, the report said.
The Information Week report also noted that more than a third of the respondents use social networks and online communities such as blogs, wikis, and online forums for business communication.
Some 70 percent connect to the Internet at home with more than one device. That number jumped to 80 percent for people between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, the report noted.
