India's flexible working space segment records 68.4 per cent growth in January to June

Representational Image. File pic.

With rising demand for flexible managed office spaces, co-working centre operators have leased over 1.91 lakh seats to corporates across top eight cities during the first six months of the year.

These operators leased 1,91,306 desks during the first six months of this year, compared to 1,13,623 in the year-ago period, thus registering a rise of 68 per cent over last year, according to news agency PTI that cited a Cushman & Wakefield report.

Corporates opting for flexible workspaces for agility and efficiency

The real estate consultant's report noted that corporates are increasingly leaning towards flexible workspace solutions, seeking greater agility and efficiency.

"The increase reflects occupiers' continued preference for flexible workspace solutions that offer operational agility, scalability and speed to market," the report said.

The coworking operators took on rent 8.4 million square feet office spaces in January-June 2026 to set up centres, a 55 per cent increase from 5.4 million square feet in the year-ago period. This is the highest-ever half-yearly volume for the segment, according to news agency IANS.

Flexible workspace operators accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the overall office leasing activity of approximately 43 million square feet recorded during January to June, 2026, up from 13 per cent in the corresponding period in the previous year.

Global capability centres continued to be a key demand driver for the flexible workspace segment, accounting for 44 per cent of the total seat lease, surpassing 37 per cent share recorded during 2025.

City-wise increase in leasing of coworking seats

In Mumbai, coworking operators leased 25,820 desks in the first half of this year as against 11,226 desks in the year-ago period, a jump of over 130 per cent.

The leasing of coworking seats in Bengaluru rose 32 per cent to 57,487 desks in the January-June period from 43,616 desks in the corresponding period of the preceding year.

In Hyderabad, the coworking operators leased 40,451 desks during January-June 2026, a more than two-fold jump from 14,936 units in the year-ago period.

Expert's views on coworking lease

According to Ramita Arora, Executive Managing Director, Bengaluru & Head - Flex, India, Cushman & Wakefield, said, "Flexible workspaces have firmly established themselves as a core element of corporate real estate strategies."

Arun Narayan, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer, BHIVE Workspace, said, "Flex leasing, which accounted for only a small share of commercial leasing in India a few years ago, now contributes close to 20 per cent of annual commercial leasing activity, reflecting how fundamentally workplace preferences have shifted. Against this backdrop, leasing nearly 70 per cent more seats in the first half of the year is a strong indication of the growing preference for flexible, enterprise-ready workspaces."

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)