Benefits of mobile $43 billion to economy

ONCE it was a novelty, now having a mobile phone is almost essential — and they boost Australia’s economy by nearly $43 billion.

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2016 file photo, a waterproof Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge mobile phone is submersed in water during a preview of Samsung's flagship store, Samsung 837, in New York's Meatpacking District. SquareTrade, a company that offers extended-protection plans for gadgets, said the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge still functioned after being submerged in water for 30 minutes. Audio was “permanently muffled and distorted” after the dunking, but the Samsung phones still outlasted Apple’s iPhones in SquareTrade’s water tests. The study, released Monday, March 14, also found that Samsung’s new phones are more prone to breaking than the iPhone 6S, which survived 30 seconds in a tumbling test chamber, similar to a dryer without heat. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

ONCE it was a novelty, now having a mobile phone is almost essential — and it’s improving what we do.

That’s the finding of a new report which concludes Australia’s economy is nearly $43 billion larger in 2015 because of the long-term productivity and workforce participation benefits of mobile technology.

The Deloitte Access Economics research, commissioned by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, was compiled using data from 37 countries over 30 years, but also a survey of 1000 Australians less likely to be working, or working full time. The key findings:

• Mobile users work 0.6 more hours every week.

• Nearly 30 per cent work from home at least some of the time.

• Nearly 15 per cent would work fewer hours if they were not able to work remotely.

The report also shows 80 per cent of job seekers under the age of 25 use mobile devices to find a job.

The association’s chairman Matthew Lobb predicts the next wave of technology — including mobile wallets and driverless cars — will continue to grow.

“It is clear that mobile will continue shaping the way Australians communicate, work and interact.” Deloitte Access Economics partner Ric Simes said mobile technologies allowed employees to make a more productive use of their time and work more efficiently.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield is launching the report in Canberra on Thursday.