Almost 20 per cent of employees use a smartphone for work, up sharply from 13 per cent just a year ago, according to new research from Forrester.

Based on a survey of over 5,500 technology end users in N. America and Europe, the Forrester report shows that enterprise mobility momentum continues to grow, with more than 45 per cent of companies planning to support more mobile devices or smartphones for their employees in the coming year.

The survey also found that smartphone equipped workers are becoming increasingly reliant on mobile applications to get the job done, with at least 50 per cent using navigational apps and instant messaging services, and 26 per cent of respondents saying they use social media apps for their work.

Even so, Forrester believes that many enterprise IT managers and mobile vendors underestimate the demand for mobility solutions in the corporate arena. Why? Because theyre missing the latent demand that will come from two emerging segments of employees: mobile “wannabes” and mobile “mavericks.” Mobile wannabes have desk jobs and want to  use smartphones, but IT doesn’t see them as mobile workers, while mobile mavericks go outside the corporate purchasing process by selecting their smartphone on their own. Combined, these two segments currently account for 22 per cent of all employees; by 2015, they will grow significantly to 42 per cent of all corporate employees.

There’s more information about the report, The Rise Of Wannabe And Maverick Mobile Workers, here.