The State of Technology
for Deskless Workers

For the 80% of the global workforce that does not work behind a desk, technology is increasingly being valued for boosting productivity and improving job satisfaction. Yet, the availability of appropriately-suited technologies continue to under-serve this forgotten workforce.

November 2020

Thoughts

The following data was captured with the help of Centiment. In Q3 2020, we conducted a 20 question survey and received completed from 1,532 verified deskless workers.

emergencecap

Approximately 80% of the global workforce is considered “deskless.” At Emergence, we use the term “Deskless Workforce” in reference to the 2.7 billion employees around the world that are not desk-bound for the majority of their role.

This workforce makes up a large percentage of many of the important and essentialindustries that keep our economy running, from healthcare, agriculture, construction and retail to manufacturing, telecommunications and transportation. Despite the proliferation of mobile devices and incredible innovation of applications across Silicon Valley, for many decades these traditionally “deskless” industries have continued to be underserved by clunky legacy software that was not purpose-built for the unique needs of these workers.

Our firm sees this as a massive opportunity and we have been focused on supporting the entrepreneurs who are building companies and creating transformative solutions to address the Deskless Workforce’s unique needs.

In a 2018 survey of IT decision makers across these top industries, we reported that 82% of respondents planned to increase spending on deskless technology. This year, we wanted to gain a better understanding of the end users—the deskless workers themselves—to learn more about how the technology has been received and better understand their perspective; what types of technologies are being provided by employers, impact on their job and the importance of technology when considering a new role.

I.  Reliance on Technology

Despite being deskless, these workers are becoming increasingly reliant on technology to perform their jobs.

75%

Spend most of their time using technology

Almost 75% of deskless workers spend at least half of their time on the job using some form of technoloy.

II.  Embracing Technology

And they are embracing it.

Deskless Workers understand the value it brings
to their jobs and they want more of it.

70%

of workers reported more technology would help them do their jobs better.

III.  Devices

Employers are still primarily providing desk-bound devices, but mobile devices not far behind.

83%

DESKTOP OR LAPTOP

57%

SMARTPHONE OR TABLET

5%

smartwatches

2%

drone

Despite working away from a traditional office environment, 83% of deskless workers are assigned desktop PCs and laptops by their employers.

However, in a sign of progress, more than 57% were provided a mobile device; 33% smartphones and 24% have been given tablets. And many of which are provided in addition to their desk-bound device as a more appropriate alternative for their work on the go.

Wearables and drones fall far behind; only 5.2% were provided a smartwatch, whereas a small sliver, 2.4% were given a drone to use on the job.

Most surprisely is the fact that 14% of respondents reported that their employer has not provided them with any device.

IV.  Dissatisfaction

Deskless Workers feel the negative impact of being the Forgotten Workforce.

62% of deskless workers are unsatisfied or reported there is room for improvement in the tech they use to perform their jobs.

Dissatisfaction rates are especially high in certain industries, notably those most reliant on technology for job completion, such as utility and energy, logistics, as well as retail and consumer durables.

V.  Top Frustrations

Slow speeds, inefficiencies and broken communication are the top frustrations, both pointing to outdated, clunky software.

44%

SLOW

20%

NOT EFFICIENT

14%

HARD TO USE AND/
OR UNDERSTAND

14%

NOT AVAILABLE ON A
MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET

12%

NOT COLLABORATIVE

62% of deskless workers are unsatisfied or reported there is room for improvement in the tech they use to perform their jobs.

Dissatisfaction rates are especially high in certain industries, notably those most reliant on technology for job completion, such as utility and energy, logistics, as well as retail and consumer durables.

VI.  Barriers

Most employees believe budget is the primary barrier to adopting more technology.

Nearly 50% of respondents attribute their frustrations with the technology they’ve been given to budget constraints, followed by nearly 30% who believe the issue is a lack of understanding of how much technology would benefit their roles.

VII.  Mind the Gap

The frustrated Deskless Workers are filling thetechnology gap themselves.

56%

Deskless workers are using their own technologiesto fill the gaps.

56% of respondents reported to have used technology not provided by their employers to perform their jobs.

All with the goal of improving productivity, we wanted to find out they were discovering these technologies:

  • 53% reported to have turned to technologies they were already had in their personal lives.
  • 33% proactively sought out new technologies.

And sharing is always caring; more than 46% were either  introduced by or shared technology solution with coworker.

VIII.  Pandemic

While planning to deploy the survey, COVID-19 became a global pandemic. Many of the deskless industries have been severely impacted, and in order to continue to operate, employers had to adhere to strict ordinances set by local and national governments.

While traditional desk-bound industries made relatively quick transitions to work from home, we revised the following portion of our survey to better understand the role technology has played across the Deskless Workforce during the pandemic.

The pandemic is accelerating digital transformation, but deskless industries are struggling to keep up.

Since the onset of the pandemic, 65% of deskless workers surveyed were not provided with any additional technology to complete their jobs.

65%

Have not been provided additional technology to complete their jobs.

Newer and traditional employers alike realize that in the midst of a pandemic, what was once 
a long-term goal is now a short-term necessity.
But not all employees were provided with options. This leaves a huge gap of workers who were again who’s technology needs have been largely “forgotten” amidst the pandemic.

IX.  Benefits

While a large population was not provided withadditional technology, the small percentage thatwas reaped the benefits.

58% reported the new technology has enhanced their productivity, allowing them to operate at their pre-pandemic level or better.

But many still saw the holes in software that is not purposefully built for their industry:

  • 20% responded there was a lot of room for improvement.
  • 22% reported the new technologies caused additional friction to their jobs.

“Those of us in deskbound jobs have received these benefits from software for decades. It just makes sense that the same should be true when great software is deployed into the deskless world.”

Kevin Spain, Emergence General Partner

X.  Post-Pandemic

Once employees have tech that improves their jobs, they don’t want to give it up.

56%

Wants the new technology to remain available after the pandemic ends.

51% of deskless employees surveyed believe the new technologies they’ve been given during the pandemic will remain available after the pandemic.

Moreover, whether or not the technology will remain available to them post pandemic, almost all respondents who received more technology during the pandemic—more than 93%—reported they want more technology to support their role.

In support for better technology for Deskless Workers

Deskless employees care about their jobs and want access to the latest technologies to help them do their jobs better and more efficiently. They believe the greatest opportunities are in the areas of communications, operations and logistics, onboarding and training and productivity and work-life balance. Software that accomplishes these tasks will be in high demand—both from employees seeking to use it and from the employers seeking to purchase it.

What’s been holding back progress in the development of technology for the deskless workforce is a general lack of understanding and empathy for how this workforce operates. The best deskless technology will be built by entrepreneurs who have been in these roles and who have experienced the needs and pains themselves. We remain bullish on this market and the opportunity to meaningfully improve the lives of deskless workers everywhere.

Our firm sees this as a massive opportunity for entrepreneurs to build transformative software and a call to action for investors to support their mission. If you are interested to learn more about how Emergence supports the Deskless Workforce, please email desklessworkforce@emcap.com.