Number of people in the UK using co-working areas rises to 1.3 million

The number of people in the UK who are using co-working areas has risen to 1.3 million, according to a recent study.

The data shows that the number of people utilising co-working space rose by 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2019.

More than 700,000 people use a co-working desk every day, according to the survey of 4,000 users of the service.

Cost-effectiveness was highlighted as the key factor for respondents using shared working environments, with collaboration being cited as the second most important reason.

Students and academics are the largest group currently using co-working spaces, making up 29 per cent of the total user base.

Ralph Manheim, Chief Executive of Primalbase, who conducted the survey, said: “Academics are very keen to learn from entrepreneurs and developers, and in many instances, they are considering how they can turn their research into a new product or business.

“For businesses, it is often cheaper and more convenient to move to a co-working space. They can easily scale up or down based on their staffing needs.”

The survey also explored the areas that users dislike about co-working, with 37 per cent of people saying that noise was a significant issue, and almost half of all respondents citing a lack of privacy as their biggest concern.

The demand for co-working and collaborative areas has increased in the UK, with the number of people working remotely increasing by 159 per cent in the past decade.

Experts believe that 50 per cent of all jobs in the UK could involve an element of remote working by 2020.

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