Coworking in Ukraine 2023 (CWE23)

This 2023 conference presentation examined Ukraine’s coworking and flexible-office industry during the war. The Ukrainian Coworking Association described its role as a nonprofit organisation supporting and developing the sector and presented a map of coworking spaces across the country. The deck characterised Kyiv as Ukraine’s most developed flexible-office market, with flexible spaces accounting for approximately 5% of the city’s total office stock. It also described how wartime internal migration changed earlier expansion patterns: development stopped in eastern and southern Ukraine while intensifying in western regions, including smaller cities where demand increased. Survey material produced with CBRE Ukraine covered operator occupancy, closures, expansion plans and the economic conditions affecting development. The presentation reported that average occupancy peaked in the fourth quarter of 2022 amid blackouts and electricity shortages, before declining to 61.8% in the first quarter of 2023 as the energy system stabilised. Half of surveyed operators planned network expansion in 2023, while half did not. The deck also introduced a coworking visa for Ukrainians, scheduled to launch in December 2023, which was intended to give participating coworking residents access to spaces internationally.

Key findings

• Flexible spaces accounted for approximately 5% of Kyiv’s total office stock.
• Coworking occupancy declined to 61.8% in the first quarter of 2023 after peaking in the fourth quarter of 2022.
• Half of surveyed operators planned network expansion in 2023, while half did not.

Presented at Coworking Europe 2023