Tech, Trends, Workspace Views and UltraSoft News
The coworking boom is reaching new heights with WeWork India turning profitable and major players like IWG and Industrious rapidly expanding.
Yet behind the buzz, global labor markets and commercial real estate face growing challenges—from U.S. job growth slowdowns to soaring office vacancies in China and sweeping layoffs across Europe and the UK.
What does this mean for the future of workspaces and the broader economy? Here’s a snapshot of the trends reshaping the industry worldwide.
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Industry News
WeWork India reported a $15.4M profit in FY25, its first profitable year, driven largely by a $34.3M deferred tax gain. Without it, the company posted a deeper pre-tax loss of $18.9M. Revenue rose 17% to $234.1M amid growing demand for flexible workspaces.
IWG, parent of Regus and Spaces, is expanding aggressively in Florida with 32 new coworking sites, tapping into rising demand for hybrid work. The move follows record global growth in 2025, with more openings in six months than its entire first decade. Revenue from its managed and franchised segment rose 26% to $361M.
Industrious is expanding its NYC footprint with 54,000+ sq. ft. across three new locations in Gramercy Park, Times Square, and Columbus Circle. The leases will add over 400 coworking seats.
U.S. labor market conditions are deteriorating. U.S. job growth is weaker than initially reported, with 911,000 fewer jobs added through March 2025 and a slowdown continuing into mid-year, as job openings fell to a 10-month low in July. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, and the ratio of job openings to unemployed dropped below 1.0 for the first time since 2021.
Office vacancy rates in major Chinese cities hit record highs in mid-2025, with Shenzhen at 30.6% and Shanghai at 23.7%. Rents for grade-A offices have dropped 20–40% since 2020. Developers are offering reduced rates, flexible leases, and services like EV charging subsidies to retain tenants amid weak demand, oversupply, and shrinking multinational presence.
UK businesses cut staff at the fastest pace in nearly four years, with employment down 0.5% year-over-year in the three months to August. Wage growth expectations also fell to 3.6% for the next year, the lowest since 2022. Despite this, firms still plan price increases, suggesting inflation may remain elevated. The BoE remains divided on further rate cuts as structural pressures continue to weigh on the economy.
European companies are slashing jobs as weak demand and Trump's tariffs worsen economic pressure. Major cuts span auto, banking, energy, and retail sectors, with firms like Volvo, Burberry, and Commerzbank announcing thousands of layoffs in efforts to stay afloat. Some are restructuring, others scaling back operations entirely. Across industries, the cost of doing business is rising — and workers are paying the price.
Who is UltraSoftBIS?
UltraSoftBIS is an all-in-one software for business centre operators, coworking spaces, and flexible workplaces. It automates key tasks like sales, proposals, license generation, e-signatures, inventory management, reservations, billing, and reporting in a single integrated system.
