Fairfax County EDA survey: Access to latest technology key to keeping workers creative and productive

Almost 40% of American workers would consider switching jobs to employer with greater commitment to workplace technology

Fairfax County, Virginia USA, Wednesday, November 12, 2008 -

An overwhelming majority of U.S. workers place a high value on technology in the workplace, so much so that almost 40 percent of employees across the labor force would consider changing jobs to work for an organization that is more committed to providing access to and training in the latest technology.

In a just released national survey, commissioned by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs, an independent, leading global research company, four in five workers said access to technology is important to their capacity to be creative (78%) and productive (80%) at work.  A similar percentage (80%) said that such technology gives their employer an edge in the marketplace.

With such a premium placed on technology, many American workers said they would think about leaving their current jobs for an employer that makes better use of technology or offers better technology-related training.  A total of 39 percent surveyed said they would consider such a move if it meant having access to more up-to-date technology, while 37 percent said they’d contemplate a job switch if better training in technology were offered.

“The technology worker has become one of the most valued currencies in today’s economy,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the FCEDA.  “As this survey makes clear, technology is one of the fundamental components of any competitive business and also is the measure by which employees assess a company’s commitment to helping them succeed. At a time of marked uncertainty within the economy, it is interesting that employees would move on for a more technology-supportive employer.”

While the results of the survey fairly consistently cut across all workplace sectors and other demographic categories, there were some notable statistical differences:

• Americans working in professional services are more likely (90%) to say that technology is critical to their individual productivity at work, when compared with those working in manufacturing/construction (80%), direct services (77%), health (77%), other sectors (76%) or education (72%).
• Men (43%) are significantly more likely than women (31%) to suggest that they would work for another employer that provided more in-depth training on the latest technology.
• Younger workers are more likely to place an emphasis on technology than their older counterparts.
• Americans working in the manufacturing sector (52%) are significantly more likely than those working in direct services (43%), health (39%), other sectors (39%), professional services (37%), or education (22%) to say that they would consider leaving their employer for another company that makes better use of available technology.
• Hispanic workers are more apt to consider a job change for the prospect of improved access to or training in technology. A total of 65 percent of Hispanic respondents said they would consider switching jobs for better access and 63 percent said they would consider switching for more technology training.

Survey Methodology
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted September 18-29, 2008. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 1,004 employed Americans was interviewed by telephone via Ipsos’ U.S. Telephone Express Omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 of what they would have been had the entire population of working adults in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error is larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample’s regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.