Coworking spaces shot into relevance less than a decade ago, and they’re only getting more popular. If you want to take advantage of new trends in coworking, check out this guide to the future of coworking spaces.

Current State of Coworking Spaces

First, take a look at how coworking spaces have been performing.

Popularity and Growth

A report from The Business Research Company projects the coworking industry to grow from $23.35 billion in 2024 to $27.64 billion in 2025. This growth is due to numerous cultural shifts, including:

  • More collaboration
  • Evolving work culture
  • An increasing number of startups
  • Higher urbanization
  • A post-recession market bounceback

These trends come alongside a growing need for flexible work arrangements. The World Economic Forum reports that 35% of its survey respondents (comprising employers, organizations, and employees) support changes to labor laws related to remote work. Coworking spaces will play a role in facilitating companies as these changes come into practice.

Subscription-based coworking services help companies provide these options to their employees at a lower price than permanent corporate spaces, and they often come with extra perks. For example, Industrious coworking spaces offer amenities like:

  • Fully stocked cafés
  • Wellness rooms and other common areas
  • Daily breakfast and craft coffee served all day
  • Unlimited color printing
  • Exclusive member programming and networking events
  • Mail and packaging services
  • Free fast and secure WiFi
  • Office supplies

Features Defining Today’s Spaces

Here are some of the characteristic features of current coworking spaces:

  • Diverse Work Areas: The best coworking spaces offer a range of work areas, including private offices for teams or individuals who need their own space, open spaces for people who thrive in collaborative environments, dedicated desks for long-term users, and meeting and conference rooms if you need to present slides.
  • Flexible Membership Plans: Flexible membership plans cater to the needs of different businesses and individuals. Depending on your preferences and budget, you can take a day pass, a part-time hot desk, or a full-time private office.
  • Events and Workshops: Coworking spaces offer a community-building experience, and many host events and workshops. These can cover many useful topics, such as wellness or professional development.
  • Community and Networking Opportunities: One of the biggest benefits of coworking spaces is the chance to network with a diverse professional community. Regular workshops, seminars, and networking events encourage collaboration and skill development, building a sense of belonging that leads to higher job satisfaction.
  • High-Speed Internet: Fast internet connection is a key component to any coworking space, enabling members to work uninterrupted, attend virtual meetings, and use cloud-based tools without a hitch.

Coworking has evolved quite a bit since its inception. Here are some of the top trends that have emerged in the past year.

Tech-Integrated Workspaces

As technology improves, coworking spaces are integrating more innovative tools to enhance their member experience. Reliable high-speed WiFi and tech-enabled whiteboards have become standard features. 

Coworking operators are increasingly combining the Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) to create a more efficient working space. For example, they use intelligent lighting and climate control systems that adjust according to occupants’ preferences for the workplace.

AI will also help personalize the coworking experience. AI-powered systems analyze user behavior and preferences to tailor their work environments, suggest opportunities for networking, and even recommend productivity tools for their work. Personalized experiences will help make coworking spaces respond better to individual needs, enhancing productivity.

Advanced technology will enable workplace flexibility, with options like: 

  • Hot-desking apps
  • Virtual office services
  • Remote access to coworking amenities

Focus on Wellness and Sustainability

Biophilic design is an approach that appeals to people’s love of freshness and life. It harnesses the energizing, restorative properties of nature to help improve people’s physical and mental health.

These designs create microclimates, boost productivity and happiness, and help distinguish the workspace from the city environment. In turn, this design approach makes people eager to spend more time in the space.

As a result, biophilic design has become a growing coworking trend. Some ways that they do this is by including green walls and indoor plants that create a rejuvenating environment. They also incorporate other natural elements, like water features, and natural materials like stone and timber.

Niche Coworking Options

Coworking spaces have started catering to specific groups of people, so they can better serve them in particular. For example, some are tech hubs that offer high-speed internet, developer tools, and networking events to support tech startups and entrepreneurs. Similarly, some coworking providers cater to creative industries, with soundproof studios and vast writing rooms that foster collaboration between creative professionals. 

Some spaces also lean into building a sense of community. For example, coworking spaces for women are workplaces that aim to support women’s unique needs, offering them a safe space free from judgment and a supportive community of like-minded individuals. They give women a place to come together, learn from each other, and empower one another to succeed in the professional world.

Predictions for the Future

The industry of coworking is only growing. Here’s how it’s likely to develop.

Hybrid Models

With the popularity of remote work, some companies are figuring out how to create a hybrid work model that unites remote work, coworking, and office spaces. For employees who are unable to work from their homes — for reasons like poor internet or having children or pets at home who create a noisy, distracting environment — coworking spaces provide them the amenities that enable remote workers.

This lets companies slim down their traditional offices to only roles that need to be in their main office. It also gives remote workers a way to separate their home life from their work, helping them maintain a better work-life balance.

Smart, Adaptable Spaces

Coworking spaces will likely evolve to provide more spaces that fit the specific tastes of their residents. They will use more modular furniture, like mobile desks, foldable walls, and movable partitions, which allow people to easily reconfigure their workspaces to their liking.

Global Coworking Networks

Coworking networks will expand globally to meet the needs of digital nomads, who travel as they work remotely either in freelance positions or for organizations that permit remote work. These coworking spaces, connected through global coworking networks, will become their offices-on-the-go as they travel the world.

The popularity and viability of remote work has led to a shift in the professional world. Employees are no longer limited to taking up jobs within a drivable radius. They’re realizing this can enable them to find better positions while living in locations where the cost of living is comparatively lower, or they can explore the world while working full-time positions.

Companies are discovering that their applicant pool has similarly expanded, so they can attract better candidates. Moreover, with remote and hybrid work structures, they need not spend as much on corporate rent. These changes are revolutionizing industries, especially those that don’t rely on brick-and-mortar locations, like software companies and marketing agencies.

Keeping up with these trends helps companies meet evolving workforce expectations, empowering them to continue attracting the best talent.

What Is the Coworking Space Trend in 2024?

In 2024, coworking spaces grew to incorporate more technology, expanding more towards AI personalization and IoT connectivity. They’ve taken on a stronger focus on members’ wellbeing, with designs that incorporate nature, and some have specialized to better suit niche audiences.

Is Coworking Really the Future?

Yes, coworking is only going to become more relevant as hybrid and remote work models become more common.

Find the Best Cutting-Edge Coworking Spaces

The coworking space that best suits your needs is one that stays up to date with the latest trends and looks to constantly adapt going forward. Learn more about Industrious coworking spaces to discover cutting-edge spaces ideal for your needs.

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