Survey on Coworking in Poland (2019)

Published in 2019, this report examined the development of coworking in Poland, the working patterns of freelancers and the role of networking in shared workspaces. It drew on an online survey of 47 Polish coworking spaces conducted in January 2019 and also reported findings from research involving freelancers and residents of O4 Coworking. The report described 2018 as a period of growth and maturation: most surveyed spaces had gained members, half had increased their number of workstations and a majority had reported higher profits than in 2017. It considered the geographic and sectoral composition of Polish coworking, including the concentration of spaces in large cities and the strong representation of IT-related work among members. It also examined freelancers’ familiarity with coworking, their continued reliance on home working and their difficulties in separating professional and private life. Further sections addressed cooperation with local communities, companies, incubators and other coworking operators. The report treated networking as an important element of business development that often required active support from workspace managers. It also outlined six coworking trends identified for 2019: niche, corporate, lifestyle, adaptable, conveniently located and relationship-driven spaces.

Key findings

• Among 47 Polish coworking spaces surveyed in January 2019, 70% said membership rose in 2018 and 60% reported higher profits than in 2017.
• In the survey, 62% of Polish coworking spaces operated in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, while 4% operated in places below 50,000.
• Nine in ten freelancers surveyed worked from home, although nine in ten had encountered coworking as a concept.

Published by infuture hatalska foresight institute, 2019