Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, today announced a new study from IDC that finds Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners will create 9.3 million new jobs and $1.6 trillion in new business revenues worldwide by 2026. The study also finds that Salesforce is driving immense growth for its partner ecosystem, which will make $6.19 for every $1 Salesforce makes by 2026.
Building digital HQs helps solve for urgent transformation needs
IDC forecasts1 that cloud-related technologies will account for 27% of digital transformation IT spending this year, growing to 37% in 2026, as businesses focus on establishing digital HQs to deliver customer and employee success from anywhere. Remote work, contactless customer engagement, and sustainability efforts are becoming more prevalent than ever, and IDC expects this trend will only continue.
“IDC forecasts that cloud-related technologies will account for 27% of digital transformation IT spending this year, growing to 37% in 2026”
As more companies build out digital HQs to support an increasingly remote workforce, Salesforce technologies have helped its customers adjust to uncertainty – enabling remote work and remote contact with customers, and making it possible to develop new products in weeks, not months2 .
IDC also conducted a survey of 525 enterprises across eight countries on cloud deployment and the benefits and challenges of cloud computing. Of the 74% of survey respondents who say their organizations have a formal digital transformation strategy, 97% rate cloud computing as important to that strategy. The survey also found that Salesforce solutions have enabled:
- 47% of customer respondents to expand their workforce to more suburban and rural areas.
- 38% of customer respondents to expand their workforce to new populations (for example, stay-at-home parents and people with disabilities).
- 36% of customer respondents to support a more flexible work environment.
Salesforce technologies can also help companies plan for a more sustainable future. IDC forecasts that from 2021 to 2024, migration from on-premise software to the cloud could reduce as much as 1 billion metric tons of CO23. Salesforce itself has set a goal of pursuing 100% renewable energy for its global operations by 2022, and currently delivers a carbon-neutral cloud to all its customers. And, according to IDC’s customer survey, 39% of Salesforce customers surveyed look to Salesforce as a source of support in reaching their own sustainability objectives.
The Salesforce partner ecosystem drives worldwide acceleration of growth
IDC predicts that the use of Salesforce and its ecosystem’s cloud services will generate $308 billion in the customer base this year and more than double that in 2026, at $724 billion. Today, the ecosystem of Salesforce partners delivering cloud services to customers is five times as big as Salesforce itself, and will be more than six times as big in 2026. The study also found that 2026 ecosystem revenues are forecast to be 3.5 times those in 2020.
“The Salesforce partner ecosystem extends the power of Salesforce to companies of all sizes, across industries and helps make customer success possible,” said Tyler Prince, EVP, Alliances & Channels, Salesforce. “As Salesforce grows, so do our partners — and we are committed to providing our expanding partner ecosystem with the tools needed to succeed in the jobs of the future.”
Salesforce paves pathways to help unlock career opportunities in the Salesforce Economy
23% of new jobs created in the Salesforce customer base this year leverage significant digital skills — such as using automation tools, the Internet of Things ( IoT), and other complex applications. Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform, and its Trailblazer Community, which accelerates this learning through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and support, empower anyone to learn digital skills for the growing Salesforce economy.
“For Salesforce, it’s not only about creating new technology and career opportunities; we have to pave pathways to these new jobs,”
Kris Lande, SVP Trailblazer Ecosystem, Salesforce
Salesforce is also helping companies navigate their digital transformations through these platforms; 84% of survey respondents at companies using Trailhead say it’s important to their organization’s deployment of cloud solutions, and 44% said it’s “critically” so.
“For Salesforce, it’s not only about creating new technology and career opportunities; we have to pave pathways to these new jobs,” said Kris Lande, SVP, Trailblazer Ecosystem, Salesforce. “We’ve made it our mission to empower people with the tools they need to build dynamic careers, companies, and communities with Salesforce, and thrive in a digital-first world.”
