Gen Y in committed relationship with smartphones: Cisco: Page 2 of 2

Breaking down Malaysia’s Gen Y
 
In Malaysia, the findings of the CCWTR were substantiated by the results garnered from a local survey amongst Gen Ys who have just joined the workforce, or are finishing their tertiary education.
 
Irving Tan (pic), vice president for Cisco in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) noted that Malaysia continues to be a growing knowledge and service-based economy and the nation’s youth will be the human capital that drives the country’s transformation into developed nation status by 2020.
 
“The Internet is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – we can connect on any device, over any platform (Wi-Fi, 3G, Hotspot) for essentially any and every activity,” he said.
 
Tan pointed out that in a recent discussion between Google, Twitter and Cisco, the main difference highlighted between Gen X and Gen Y is that Gen X is tech savvy, but Gen Y is tech dependent.
 
“When hiring from the Gen Y segment, employers need to understand that and embrace the creativity, productivity and efficiency - as the concept of ‘work’ becomes an activity and not a place,” he said.
 
These digital natives are online, connecting with communities globally and interacting in real time, Tan added, validating the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) vision of a digital economy that connects and empowers government, businesses and citizens.
 
“What that means for us as employers is, to ensure we don’t lose out on the twenty-first century skills our youth bring into the company by having a secure, intelligent network as well as bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and corporate policies that enable a borderless workspace,” he said.
 
For the Malaysian component of the survey, 60 respondents were asked about their dependence on their smartphones and the importance of such devices in their daily routine.

Reliance on smartphones is at an all time high as all respondents reported that they check their emails, texts and social media updates on their smartphone as part of their daily routine to get ready for school or work.

• 92% of respondents said that they compulsively check their smartphone for emails, texts or other social media updates. 
• 67% said that while they sometimes wish that they didn’t have this compulsion, the desire to stay connected often overpowers.

A majority of respondents said that they either view emails, send texts, or check social media updates on their smartphones while they are in bed, walking, eating, in the bathroom, and even while driving.
 
Malaysian Gen Ys also use their mobile apps extensively, mainly for either games, entertainment, or for work-related activities and consider their smartphone their most important device.

• 76% of respondents use their mobile applications on a regular basis.
• Only 3% of respondents said that mobile applications are not important at all.
• Two thirds of respondents chose their smartphone as their most important device, even more important than their laptops. 

Related Stories:

Pay for performance trend picks up: Kelly survey

For more technology news and the latest updates, follow @dnewsasia on Twitter or Like us on Facebook.