Information and communication technology applications and their role in providing telecommuting job opportunities: A practical study on the private sector in Riyadh southern provinces

This study examines: (1) the relationship between modern ICT applications and telecommunications in providing telecommuting job opportunities, (2) the differences among the average responses of the sample for modern applications of ICT based on sector type and company size, and (3) the relative importance of private sector preferences for modern ICT applications among private sector incorporating in Southern Riyadh provinces. The final sample of this study consists of 124 CEOs, managers, and deputy managers from 80 companies. Using a survey-based method in 2017, the results of this study indicate that the mastery of job seekers for ICT applications (combined) provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample city with an average of (3.14); the mastery of job seekers for (chat applications) provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample with an average of 3.96; the mastery of job seekers for work-from-home applications (virtual classroom applications and remote assistance applications) provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample with an average of 3.57; the mastery of job seekers for computer programs (office software) provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample with an average of 3.95; the mastery of job seekers for accounting and statistics programs does not lead to providing telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample as the average was 2.98; the mastery of job seekers for social networking applications (social networks) provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample, where the average was 3.62; the mastery of job seekers for designing programs provides telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample, with an average of 3.40; the mastery of job seekers for engineering planning programs does not lead to providing telecommuting job opportunities in the study sample, as the average was 2.14; and the existence of such kind of differences is due to demographic characteristics and their impact on the use of ICT applications.