Coworking spaces in Switzerland decline for first time

Switzerland counted 455 coworking spaces in August 2026, 9% fewer than a year earlier. The drop, recorded across large cities, smaller towns and rural areas, marks the first decline since the market began to be tracked in 2017. Wüest Partner’s study describes the change as consolidation after a period of rapid expansion.

The sector had grown from 130 locations in 2017 to around 500 in 2025. That rapid increase left operators facing a tougher test: keeping spaces viable as supply adjusts. Wüest Partner says occupancy remains relatively high, so the retreat does not necessarily signal a broad loss of demand. But high occupancy alone has not kept every centre or operating model on a sustainable footing.

For Switzerland’s flexible-work market, the figures show a shift from expansion to selection. The number of venues has fallen even as businesses continue to seek flexible workspace options.

Small businesses and start-ups continue to support demand for flexible desks. Wüest Partner points to the growth of small businesses and lively start-up activity, particularly in consulting and IT. Young companies may need only a handful of workstations, while avoiding the commitment of a long-term lease for their own office.

That flexibility has a price. An analysis of around 70 locations puts a fixed workstation in the mid-range price bracket at an average of CHF 460 per month. The fee covers more than a desk: internet access, cleaning and meeting rooms are included. Those services help explain why coworking offers a different proposition from simply renting a seat.

The mix of users and services matters to operators as they adjust to a smaller market. A company seeking a few desks can use shared facilities without taking on its own office lease. For coworking providers, the challenge is to turn that appeal into steady business across a venue’s full range of workspaces and services.

A flexible offer can sit on top of a costly fixed commitment. Coworking operators typically rent large premises on multi-year leases, then sublet individual workstations on more flexible terms. When desks sit empty, rent still falls due, putting pressure on the operator’s finances.

Wüest Partner says selling individual workstations alone is often not enough to make a venue profitable. Team offices and meeting rooms can improve financial performance by adding services beyond a single desk. The model therefore depends on more than occupancy: operators also need an offer that can support the cost of the space they have leased.

That pressure helps explain why a relatively high occupancy rate can coexist with closures and consolidation. The market’s recent expansion brought more locations into the sector, but not every centre or management model proved sustainable over the long term. The decline reaches urban, small-town and rural markets, showing that the adjustment is national rather than confined to Switzerland’s largest cities.

Switzerland’s office market sends mixed signals as coworking operators consolidate. In the third quarter of 2026, office space advertised for rent was 12% lower than a year earlier. Yet the floor area of properties vacant for more than two years increased, showing that some office supply is still struggling to find tenants even as the advertised market shrinks.

Advertised office rents rose 3% nationally over the year. The Zurich region recorded the sharpest increase, at 6.6%, while rents in the Basel region fell 1.4%. Wüest Partner forecasts a more modest rise in 2027, with Swiss office rents expected to increase by an average of 0.5%.

These figures set the context for coworking’s next phase. Flexible offices remain relevant to small businesses and start-ups, while operators must make multi-year property commitments work with flexible, desk-by-desk income. The forecast points to continued, moderate rent growth, alongside a market in which some premises remain difficult to let.