More businesses are swapping the constraints of conventional office space for coworking and serviced options in Melbourne.Â
According to a recent report by Instant Offices, Melbourne currently ranks third among the largest markets for flexible workspace globally, alongside global cities like Tokyo, Paris, New York and London. With both corporates and SMEs looking for flex options in prime areas, demand outstripped supply last year, and enquiries for flex space rose by 19% against average supply at 16%. Â
Australia’s flexible workspace market is one of the most mature, but with interest soaring across cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, demand shows no sign of letting up. Last year the market saw double-digit growth, with flexible options now representing up to 5% of overall space
Melbourne is on a similar growth trajectory to New York, which makes it Australia’s second most mature office space market. As the market grows, desk costs are set to reduce as more competitors enter the market, giving businesses even more choice when it comes to reducing costs.
A TimeOut Index survey had revealed Melbourne ranks second as both the world’s most creative city and the happiest city in the world. With an excellent quality of life, a strong economy, great weather, thriving business culture and general lifestyle attractions, the city also consistently ranks as one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Startup Genome lists Melbourne as one of the major startup ecosystems to watch, predicting the city will be among the top 30 global startup ecosystems within the next five years, alongside Moscow and Jakarta.
The fast-growing city provides support for scaling businesses as well as startups. With a diverse business community, a large talent pool and a strong relationship-driven culture, Melbourne is a highly sought-after international destination of creativity, innovation and opportunity. Â
Average Desk Cost in Melbourne
| Area | Average Desk Cost |
| CBDÂ | $700-750 |
| Docklands | $800-850 |
| Richmond | $650 |
| Southbank | $700 |
| St Kilda | $550-600 |
Evolution of Office Space in Melbourne: More Relaxation Space Needed
The Instant Group Asia-Pacific Amenities Report highlights that the main amenities members want in a coworking space are:
- 79%Â said relaxation space: a quiet, non-work space where employees can relax and unwind.
- 65%Â said health services: either onsite drop-in clinics or private healthcare schemes.
- 48%Â said exercise space: fitness classes or workout space rank third on the list.
About The Instant Group
Founded in 1999, The Instant Group is a workspace innovation company that rethinks workspace on behalf of its clients injecting flexibility, reducing cost and driving enterprise performance. Instant places more than 7,000 companies a year in flexible workspace such as serviced, managed or co-working offices including Sky, Network Rail, Capita, Serco, Teleperformance, Worldpay is making it the market leader in flexible workspace.
Its listings’ platform Instant Offices hosts more than 12,000 flexible workspace centres across the world and is the only site of its kind to represent the global market, providing a service to FTSE 100, Fortune 500, and SME clients. With offices in London, Newcastle, Berlin, Haifa, Dallas, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, The Instant Group employs 230 experts and has clients in more than 150 countries. It has recently been included in the 2018 Sunday Times’ HSBC International Track 200.
