Who Uses Coworking Spaces in the Modern Workforce? (2024)

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If you’re wondering who uses coworking spaces these days, you’ve come to the right place!

At the Tutor Resource, we’ve been remote workers and digital nomads for years. And, we’ve used coworking spaces all over the world to complete some of our own work projects.

Coworking spaces seem ubiquitous in cities across the world these days. You pass by them on your commute, and maybe you’ve even worked from one as your company embraces flexible and remote work options.

While they started years ago catering mainly to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and remote workers, that’s changing.

According to a recent workplace survey, a surprising portion of large company employees now use coworking spaces regularly as part of their workweek routines.

So who are these corporate coworking converts? And how are they using flexible workspaces differently than digital nomads?

To help you decide if coworking is right for you, we analyzed survey data profiling over 800 corporate coworking users to uncover the key stats you need to know. So let’s jump in!

Fast Facts on Corporate Coworking Users

Before diving deeper into the data, here are some fast facts worth knowing upfront about who’s using coworking within major companies.

They’re young and male. Coworking users from large companies tend to skew male (54%) rather than female. They also tend to be on the younger side, with 62% identifying as Millennials or Gen Z.

They hold management roles. Over three-fourths of coworking users are directors, managers or executives within their organizations. These aren’t just your average remote workers.

Many hail from the tech industry. With flexible work cultures and mobile work requirements, tech companies lead the way on coworking usage, with over a third of their survey respondents reporting they cowork.

They’re collaborating, not focusing. Time analysis reveals people use coworking when they need to collaborate, not power through focused work. Makes sense given the social vibe of these spaces.

Most cowork just 1 day a week. Despite having regular access, 62% of corporate coworking users still spend 1 day or less actually working from the spaces each week.

Who Uses Coworking Spaces by Industry

Now let’s explore some of the research study findings in more detail…

While certain industries are driving the growth of the broader coworking industry itself, the breakdown looks quite different when evaluating what sectors embrace coworking for their remote workers and employees.

Based on survey data from over 6,000 full-time corporate employees at major U.S. companies, here is how prevalent coworking is within specific industries:

A few key takeaways on the industry breakdown:

First, tech sector companies lead the way in embracing coworking for employees by a wide margin. With constant innovation and collaboration required, the flexibility of coworking aligns well.

Secondly, beyond tech we see greater adoption in knowledge-based industries like finance, management and media versus other sectors like government, non-profit and legal that have lower utilization rates.

While the tech industry tops the list now, we anticipate usage growing in other sectors as more organizations recognize the benefits of workplace flexibility and mobility. Even heavily regulated industries like legal and finance have started to embrace coworking options.

Who Uses Coworking Spaces by Role

Within companies that leverage coworking, which types of roles are using the spaces? Are they top executives seeking offsite meeting locations? Or more junior employees with less traditional office access?

Again, a few interesting notes on the breakdown:

First, coworking has taken the deepest hold among management roles within companies. Over half of reporting coworking users hold director or manager titles.

Secondly, executive level employees appear actively engaged as well, with almost a quarter leveraging flexible workspaces.

Adding those groups sums to over three-fourths of users in leadership positions. This aligns with survey analysis revealing senior roles rate their overall workplace experience highest.

Access to alternative spaces like coworking may help drive that perception by adding variety and autonomy.

On the flip side though, lower-level professional and administrative employees utilize coworking spaces the least.

As more companies embrace flexibility, it’s important to ensure alternative workplace options don’t further advantages already enjoyed by leadership over more junior staff.

How Coworking Users Split Their Time

When corporate coworking users access flexible spaces, how much time do they spend working from those locations?

Are they essentially replacing their company workplaces, using the spaces alongside traditional offices, or leveraging them only periodically?

Here is how survey respondents split up their average work week between locations:

A few notes on the time split analysis:

Most corporate coworking users allocate time between several locations during their week rather than using their company’s primary space as sole workspace. On average they spend close to one full day working from a coworking location.

Their primary offices still account for the largest share of time though, with flexible coworking spaces supplementing rather than replacing those main venues. This aligns with broader analysis on workplace performance.

Survey analysis found effectiveness diminishes if employees spend over 20% of their typical week coworking. Used alongside primary workspaces however, performance increases.

Working from home comprises one more major alternative location favored by coworking users, though home and coworking likely satisfy different needs.

Remote workers favor coworking spaces for collaboration while home remains the main choice for focused work. Together they add flexibility.

In summary, the research reveals companies have embraced coworking spaces like they have work from home programs—as useful supplements to anchor employees during portions of their week while retaining centralized hubs to convene in person.

When Do Workers Use Coworking Spaces?

To better understand why corporate employees leverage coworking spaces, let’s explore whether certain work activities or needs drive their usage.

Specifically, the survey analysis compared how time spent on two different work modes—collaborative versus focused—relates to coworking usage rates.

The findings?

This reveals coworking aligns closely with collaboration requirements. The more time an employee spends working with others, the more likely they utilize a coworking space.

Alternatively, focused workers who spend more solitary time on heads-down projects or tasks utilize coworking spaces less on average.

This aligns logically with the services coworking locations provide, emphasizing shared spaces to spark collaborative collisions. For employees required to collaborate routinely, getting outside their regular company spaces provides a fresh environment to connect.

On the other hand, for those times when you need to concentrate and tune out distractions, coworking spaces don’t always fit the bill.

This might explain why over half of the survey respondents feel private spaces for focused work remain a priority need despite trends toward openness.

Coworking Goes Global

While this analysis focuses specifically on current corporate utilization of coworking spaces in the United States, the broader coworking movement continues to accelerate globally as well.

Surveys conducted over the past few years reveal a few key trends in other regions that likely foreshadow where the U.S. workplace could be headed next.

Asia Results

In Asia for example, research shows even greater preference for open and shared work environments than the U.S. Current space allocation consists of 50% open plan layouts, 21% shared small group offices, and only 12% private individual offices.

Compare that to 35% open environments and 42% private offices in the America. Asia’s early adoption of coworking aligns with a broader cultural shift toward collaborative work settings.

Europe Research

Findings in Europe show a contrasting view, valuing privacy similarly to American survey respondents. But European companies utilize a greater mix of shared and group offices at higher rates than the U.S.

This points to a rising shared office movement, distinct from fully open coworking spaces, gaining traction abroad.

Latin America

And in fast growing economies like Latin America, businesses still cling to status symbols like private offices more steadfastly than other regions, but proximity and access to high quality collaboration zones ranks among the highest workplace priorities.

This indicates their experience with coworking will continue growing exponentially in coming years as well.

Global Generalizations

The bottom line is that as Millennials and Gen Z—already prone toward mobility, flexibility and collaboration—take greater roles leading global organizations, they will likely accelerate adoption of coworking rapidly.

Each region may flavor the movement slightly differently, but improved technological connectivity and shifting cultural attitudes toward work will drive broader transformation.

Final Takeaways on Who Uses Coworking Spaces

In many ways, the profile of the corporate coworking user mirrors that of early digital nomad adopters—skewing young, technically savvy, and mobile.

But as more organizations recognize the performance benefits alternative spaces provide, they are expanding access more broadly.

Coworking spaces now act as another amenity companies can utilize alongside centralized hubs and mobility programs to add flexibility and empower performance.

Remote workers don’t seem to treat them as true replacements for traditional workplaces though, continuing to split their time rather than defecting all together.

As the workforce and workplace continue evolving, it will be fascinating to track how coworking usage and overall attitudes toward centralized offices transform.

But for now, data reveals a more balanced perspective—with a mix of locations allowing companies, employees, freelancers, and digital nomads to optimize engagement and productivity most effectively.