Yes, you read that right. There were 1.25 billion global information workers in 2018 — people that use a smartphone, PC, or tablet for work an hour more per day in a typical week. This number may seem astronomical . . . but in reality, the growth of information workers has just begun. New devices and innovations have flooded the market, making digital devices even more useful for work, so companies will be able to expand digital assistance to more tasks and more types of workers, far beyond white-collar office workers. The result is gains in productivity, efficiency, and business outcomes.

Back in 2012, we released our original information worker sizing report and found the total info worker population to be 478 million, growing to 865 million by 2016. In our latest analysis, we found that the global information worker population grew to 1.25 billion in 2018. We also found that:

  • Uber drivers and cashiers have become information workers. Surprising? Think about the technology that every worker has in the palm of their hands. Information worker no longer means just office workers. Instead, it now also captures a whole new segment of gig-economy workers, as well as administrative and frontline workers.
  • Emerging and pervasive technologies will continue to expand the info worker population. What began with a PC and smartphone has now expanded to a new set of technologies that have dramatically changed the way people work. AR/VR headsets have proliferated through training and development job functions, while wearables have enabled a new meaning of an on-the-go workforce. As technology continues to expand, so too will the information worker population.