Why Flexible Workspace Is Now Central To Business Growth And Occupier Success Strategies Worldwide

The rise of hybrid work highlighted the important role of flexible office in workplace strategies. With a more distributed workforce, occupiers needed to be nimble and find a way for their teams to connect in person and virtually, across multiple markets. 

Flexible office spaces have facilitated this by offering adaptability in agreement terms, headcount, floorplans, and providing high-quality, amenitized spaces. As return-to-office policies have emerged, flexible office has allowed occupiers to fill in office space gaps by providing a flexible solution.  

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According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest What Occupiers Want report, they want more flexible office space. The report found that 55% of global occupiers use flexible office with 17% of them planning to increase their usage. 

While there are regional differences, the use of flexible office spaces is robust worldwide. 

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In the Americas, 58% of occupiers use flexible office space and 16% plan to increase their use. In APAC, the adoption of flexible office use by regional players is not as strong, with 35% using flexible office and 14% of them planning to increase use. 

EMEA shows the highest usage, with 61% using flexible office strategies. Of that 61%, 19% plan to increase their use with another 19% planning to decrease use. 

This flexibility allows occupiers to adjust their usage as needed. 

As occupiers have increased their use of flexible office space to plan their short- and longer-term space strategies, flexible office has become more agile both globally and regionally. 

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United States Leads Growth in the Americas  

In the United States, providers have responded to occupier demand by expanding their footprints, growing their total inventory by 11% year-over-year as of the second quarter of 2025. This growth has been diverse, with significant gains in secondary markets such as Miami, Nashville, and San Diego. 

Some gateway markets, including Chicago and Los Angeles, have also seen recent increases in flexible office inventory. 

Occupiers in the U.S. have been steadily moving towards high-quality, class A spaces over older office spaces. With office construction down significantly, currently 75% lower than in 2020, high-quality flexible office fit outs are filling a premium gap in the market.  

Landlords have been using flexible office space to boost occupancy in some of their buildings as some markets struggle with high occupancy rates of over 30%. They have also made flexible lease terms available for providers as Cushman & Wakefield has seen lease terms decrease 37% in the last five years. 

In other cases, landlords have found value in creating owner-provider partnerships that leverage a provider’s expertise and brand to create flexible office options in a building. 

Explosive Demand for India’s Labor Force Fuels Growth in APAC 

Flexible office growth in India has been unprecedented in the region. While local companies’ use of flexible office spaces is not as strong, the explosive demand has primarily come from global occupiers sourcing labor in India’s major markets. 

Flexible office providers have ramped up their offerings in India, accounting for 85 million square feet of office space as of 2025. This footprint is expected to grow to over 100 million square feet next year. 

This growth makes sense when we see that enterprise demand for space has increased six-fold since 2020. Additionally, large enterprise deals with 500+ seats have driven demand for space in the last two years. +

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Occupiers value the flexibility offered by flexible office, including the ability to scale rapidly when needed. 

Providers in India have developed strategies to meet the evolving needs of occupiers. They are acquiring new assets and upgrading older properties to meet the demand for quality spaces. 

Additionally, the prevalence of managed spaces has increased as occupiers seek full-service options from providers. Providers in India will remain nimble, focusing on markets where occupier demand is strongest. 

Occupier Demand Shapes the United Kingdom’s Growth 

In the United Kingdom, flexible office occupiers have expanded from the usual smaller media and tech users to include larger occupiers in finance and banking. 

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This growth has led to changes in flexible office offerings, as larger occupiers take up more space and use it differently. They utilize flexible office spaces for project teams, satellite offices, and temporary office spaces during large-scale renovations. 

In response to increasing demand from occupiers, providers have ramped up leasing in the U.K., reaching a record 1.1 million square feet in 2024. The addition of this space has been necessary to meet the demand of large enterprise users looking for innovative space solutions. 

The emergence of “Brandlords” in the market is a direct result of the successful role flexible office plays as a part of occupier space strategies. 

Owners and developers use flexible offerings to cater to larger enterprise users seeking fully amenitized spaces on shorter terms. Enterprise users highly value the flexibility and quality offered and are willing to pay a premium for them. 

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Future Growth 

Flexible office providers will need to remain perceptive to occupier demand and workplace trends. They must continue to innovate in designing solutions for both occupiers and landlords. 

Growth in flexible office spaces will continue as providers keep occupiers’ needs at the forefront of their strategies.

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