2nd Annual

GLOBAL COWORKING SURVEY

deskmags
Supporting coworkings growth
The story of Deskmag & Deskwanted
Many people have requested a full set of the charts and
graphs from the 2nd Global Coworking Survey. Thats
why weve created this booklet.
Were obsessed with information. We cant help it. One
of us is a social scientist, the other a journalist. When
we nd something we like, we research and write about
it.
The data presented here are the result of our quest for
information. Since we came into contact with the co-
working movement, weve wanted to research it, track
it and graph it.
Thats why we started Deskmag in 2009. Having been
around some of the founding coworking spaces in Eu-
rope, we saw a need for detailed analysis and report-
ing on the concept. More than that, we wanted to help
coworking develop as a worldwide movement, to learn
from its setbacks, and to share experiences.
Since launching Deskmag in mid-2010, we have twice
carried out the most rigorous and illuminating study of
coworking (the outcome of which you are now reading).
But writing about coworking wasnt enough. Through
our research and discussions with coworking space op-
erators, we realized there was a need for an online tool
for coworking spaces.
In late 2010 we launched Deskwanted, the cowork-
ing portal, which we designed ourselves and built on a
shoestring budget. Were now improving Deskwanted
to include more tools and functions to make running a
coworking space easier.
Both Deskmag and Deskwanted spring from our desire
to provide the coworking movement with information
and tools.
We hope you nd them useful, and continue to give us
feedback on how we can improve!
Note: This booklet contains an uncommented version
set of charts. If you are looking for written analysis and
commentary, refer to the Deskmag website, where we
regularly write about the gures presented here.
Carsten Foertsch and Joel Dullroy
Founders, Deskmag and Deskwanted
01 - The Birth of Coworking Spaces
01 - The Birth of Coworking Spaces
Month of opening
Year of opening
How many months did it take from the rst phase of
concrete planning to the opening?
all spaces & by number of members
How did you nance the launch of your coworking space?
By potential capacity at the opening
01 - The Birth of Coworking Spaces
How much money was invested to open
your coworking space?
Organization behind coworking spaces
all spaces & by number of members
As well as operating a space, do you have other jobs?
by number of members at the coworking space
01 - The Birth of Coworking Spaces
Income of space operators Distribution of new opened coworking spaces
by city size and year of opening
resported by coworking spaces
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
Capacity, members & desk utilization
reported by coworking spaces:
Number of members in dedicated coworking spaces
as of October per year
Number of dedicated coworking spaces worldwide
as of October per year (rounded)
Distribution of coworking spaces
by average number of members working at the same time
reported by members of coworking spaces (2011) & all coworkers incl. operators (2010)
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
Distribution of coworking spaces
by maximum no. of desks
reported by coworking spaces (2011) & when opened
Desk utilization rate at the same time
used desks at the same time - by capacity of space
reported by members of coworking spaces (2011) & all coworkers incl. operators (2010)
Desk utilization rate
if all members would work at the same time
by capacity of space
reported by coworking spaces (2011)
Number of members by age of coworking spaces
All spaces in general & by maximum capacity
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
Protability of coworking spaces
by number of other spaces in the same city
Protability of coworking spaces by age
Private operated coworking spaces only
Protibility of coworking spaces
by number of members
Private operated coworking spaces only
How protable is your coworking space this year?
by number of members
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
In what arrangement do you work the most?
by capacity
reported by members of coworking spaces
Work space design of coworking spaces
all spaces & by capacity
reported by coworking spaces (2011)
How many other coworking spaces
are located in your city?
reported by coworking spaces - by no. of members
Access to coworking spaces
by capacity of coworking spaces
reported by members of coworking spaces
02 - The Developement of Coworking Spaces
Used desk types of coworking spaces
by capacity of coworking spaces
reported by members of coworking spaces
Desk types of coworking spaces
all spaces & by capacity
reported by coworking spaces (2011)
How many people work full-time for your
coworking space?
reported by coworking spaces - by no. of members
How many people work part-time for your
coworking space?
reported by coworking spaces - by no. of members
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
Age of coworkers Professional status of coworking space members
In how many diferent coworking spaces
have you worked in so far?
How often do you work
at a coworking space on average?
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
For my work, it is important to have...
Where did you mostly work
before you started using a coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
Are you a member of more
than one coworking space at the moment?
Do you also sometimes work
outside of your coworking space?
This refers to conducting core work duties - excluding meetings or
appointments with clients
respondents: coworking space members
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
Where do you often work,
if you are not at your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
Where do you seldom work,
if you are not at your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
Where do you never work,
if you are not at your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
How many people live in the city in which you work?
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
Do you live in the city in which you work?
respondents: coworking space members
How do you usually travel to your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
How many minutes does it take
from your home to your coworking space on average?
What kind of desk do you work at the most
in a coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
What kind of access do you have
to your coworking space at the moment?
How much has your workstyle altered
since you work in a coworking space?
(positive impact)
How much has your workstyle altered
since you work in a coworking space?
(no impact)
How much has your workstyle altered
since you work in a coworking space?
(negative impact)
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
How much has your workstyle altered
since you work in a coworking space?
Would you feel comfortable leaving your laptop
in your coworking space while your out of the room?
reported by members of coworking spaces
Would you leave your mobile phone unattended at your
coworking space without fear of loss?
reported by members of coworking spaces
03 - The Members of Coworking Spaces
Income of coworking space members
compared to general population
Gender of coworkers and spaces operators What is your highest level of education?
respondents: coworking space members
04 - What Members of Coworking Spaces Want
04 - What Members of Coworking Spaces Want
What kind of desk do you like to work at the most?
responded by coworking space members
What do you like most about your coworking space?
responded by coworking space members
What dont you like most about your coworking space?
responded by coworking space members
What kind of access is the most efective for you?
responded by coworking space members
04 - What Members of Coworking Spaces Want
Which of the following values or principles
are personally important to you?
And how important are them at your coworking space?
In which areas you would like to have more to say?
responded by coworking space members
I prefer coworking spaces with the following lay-out:
responded by coworking space members (2011) & all coworkers (2010)
Who makes the most important decisions
in your coworking space?
responded: coworking space members
04 - What Members of Coworking Spaces Want
Number of positive & negative responses on
What do/dont you like most about your coworking space?
responded by coworking space members
How much do you like your coworking space
on a scale of 1 to 10?
10 = the highest grade - 1 = the lowest grade
respondents: coworking space members
How much do you like your coworking space
on a scale of 1 to 10?
by negatively rated features of a space
How much do you like your coworking space
on a scale of 1 to 10?
by positively rated features of a space
05 - The Diferences between Freelancers, Employees & Entrepreneurs
05 - The Diferences between Freelancers, Employees & Entrepreneurs
Important for my work
for coworkers who work today as...
Diferences
between freelancers, entrepreneurs & employees
What coworkers like the most
Diferences between freelancers, entrepreneurs & employees
Where have you worked before starting coworking?
Diferences between freelancers, entrepreneurs & employees
05 - The Diferences between Freelancers, Employees & Entrepreneurs
In what arrangement do you work the most?
Diferences between freelancers, entrepreneurs & employees
What dont you like at your coworking space?
In which areas would you like to have more to say?
The impact of coworking
on coworkers who work today as...
05 - The Diferences between Freelancers, Employees & Entrepreneurs
Where do you often work, if you dont work in your
working space?
How active are you involved
in the social movement of coworking?
How long are you planning to stay at
your coworking space?
06 - The Interaction in and between Coworking Spaces
06 - The Interaction in and between Coworking Spaces
How many events take place in your coworking space
on average per month?
respondents: coworking spaces
How many events do you usually attend per month?
respondents: coworking space members,
by potential maximum concurrent capacity of coworking spaces
Do you sometimes attend events
at your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members
Does your coworking space have a community manager?
by number of members
06 - The Interaction in and between Coworking Spaces
How many acquaintances have you made
through your coworking space in the last two months
who have had a positive efect on your projects in any way?
espondents: coworkers
by potential maximum concurrent capacity of coworking spaces
How many people know your rst name at your coworking space?
respondents: coworking space members,
by potential maximum concurrent capacity of coworking spaces
How well do you know the rst names of coworkers in your space?
respondents: coworking space members
by potential maximum concurrent capacity of coworking spaces
Do you meet up with members of your
coworking space after work or on the weekends?
respondents: coworking space members
06 - The Interaction in and between Coworking Spaces
How active are you involved
in the social movement of coworking?
respondents: coworking space members
Have you ever used the Coworking Visa to work in
another coworking space?
Members, who ever worked in more than one coworking space
& in more than one coworking space a year
How much interaction do you have with other coworking spaces?
by number of members
Would you support a coworking association that
represents the interests of coworking spaces?
respondents: coworking spaces, by their number of members
07 - The Coworking Forecast 2012
07 - The Coworking Forecast 2012
What development
do you forecast for your space in 2012?
respondents: coworking spaces, results rounded
Do you plan to expand your coworking space in 2012?
respondents: coworking spaces, by number of members
Do you plan to expand your coworking space in 2012?
respondents: coworking spaces, by protability in 2011
For how long do you think
you will stay at your coworking space?
respondents: members, by duration of working at a coworking space
(2010: all coworkers)
07 - The Coworking Forecast 2012
For how long do you think
you will stay at your coworking space?
by satisfaction of members (in grades) with a coworking space
Survey Methodology
The 2nd Global Coworking Survey ran from October 19 to Novem-
ber 2, 2011. 1,523 people from 52 countries took part in the survey
via an online questionnaire at EFSsurvey provided by Unipark.
The survey was conducted by Deskmag in cooperation with the
team from Coworking Europe and translated into French and
Spanish by La Mutinerie and Coworking Spain.
It was also supported by Emergent Research,
University of Texas at Austin, Coworking Deutschland,
Coworking Project Italy, Jellyweek.org,
Deskwanted & Cohere Community.
Credits
Survey Creation and Analysis by: Carsten Foertsch
Cover Design by: Philipp Striegler
Published by: Deskmag, Berlin 2012
www.deskmag.com
The teams of Deskmag & Deskwanted
Anna Cashman, Carsten Foertsch, Joel Dullroy, Julianne Becker,
Marco Baringer, Mario Gemoll, Matti Biskup, Sabrina Schifrer,
Sean De Burca
74% of coworking
space managers
have other jobs.
Save time on organization!