Windows Mobile will emerge as the leading mobile workforce platform in 2009, relegating BlackBerry to second place, according to new findings from mobile workforce management firm Cognito.

The firm polled its customers, which include large utilities firms and public sector organisations, to find out the key trends in the industry. It found that the familiarity of Windows among blue collar workers, and its superior back office integration capabilities give it an advantage.

The research also found that most mobile projects are set to buck the current trend for a decline in IT budgets.

Spend on mobile workforce technology will either increase or at worst stay the same, with 41 per cent of respondents saying the current economic conditions would have no impact on mobile purchases.

"We predict that 77 per cent of the workforce [in field service companies] will be equipped with devices in a year from now," said Cognito's head of marketing, David Perry.

"However, the biggest concern people have is integration with back-end systems – how to put the data they've collected [in the field] into their SAP apps, for example."

The main drivers for this increased use of mobile technology among field service companies, such as utility firms, is the need to lower costs and improve efficiencies in the face of fluctuating fuel costs, leaner workforces and tighter budgets, the research also found.