The Global Coworking Survey (2015)

This 2015 conference deck presented the first results of the 2015–16 Global Coworking Survey at Coworking Europe in Milan. It described changes in the worldwide number of coworking spaces and members, with the 2015 totals explicitly framed as projections based on reports from coworking spaces. The member section examined community attachment, trust, expectations of peers, work frequency, workspace type, access arrangements and intentions to remain at a current space. It compared several measures with the 2013–14 and 2011–12 surveys, including ratings of spaces, relationships with hosts and managers, and the prevalence of working outside the space. The operator section covered full-time and part-time involvement, motivations for running a space, views of regional supply, open and curated membership models, and perceptions of profitability. It also described premises and leases, including building type and age, prior vacancy, lease terms and relocation history. The final slides set out operators’ expansion plans and their expectations for 2016, including anticipated changes in membership, income, community and event activity. Results were presented mainly as comparative percentages and historical series.

Key findings

• The deck projected 7,800 coworking spaces and 510,000 members worldwide for October 2015, based on reports from coworking spaces.
• In 2015–16, 73% of members worked at a coworking space at least three times a week, including 44% who attended daily.
• For 2016, 79% of spaces expected member numbers to rise and 74% expected income to rise, while 2% expected declines in each.

Presented by Carsten Foertsch, Deskmag, at Coworking Europe 2015