Social Programs are Turning to Mobile
Thirty years after FEDEX delivery people began carrying handhelds and nearly a decade after the release of the first iPhone, more social service agencies are launching pilots and almost all are considering mobile.
None too soon. In the US alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2012 there were nearly 1 million social workers and assistants. Take a moment to digest that -- and then consider this -- that number is expected to grow 20% by 2022. In addition to a huge pool of workers, nearly half of the US population comes in some sort of contact with an employment, housing, social, or government health program in any given year. The same is true for other countries. That’s a lot of questions, documents, applications, eligibility determinations, placements, visits, and services.
Making all of that activity more efficient and results more tangible will have a real impact.
I am the Global Health and Social Programs Leader for the IBM Government Industry and am on Twitter @PaulDommel.