Business Intelligence

Mid-Year Snapshot: The State of Flex at WeWork

In the first half of 2026, the average company footprint at WeWork was nearly 10% larger than a year earlier, a gain that was driven by small and large companies alike —  from one-person startups to multinational corporations.

Worldwide, 8 in 10 members present in both years kept or expanded the space they occupied. Flexible space is becoming a core component of their real estate strategy: the same behavior WeWork found among large, multinational corporations utilizing its spaces earlier this year, now visible across the full member base.

That is the state of flex at WeWork today: companies of all sizes are committing to more space.  

This report draws on WeWork’s proprietary membership data to compare the first half of 2025 with the first half of 2026, spanning every member company worldwide across all membership types except Business Address.

An analysis of WeWork’s global network

In the first half of 2026, an analysis of companies across WeWork’s portfolio found that 7 in 10 had been with the company a year earlier. 

The member companies analyzed vary widely in size, as do the footprints they occupy. Enterprises — companies with 1,000 or more employees — accounted for nearly 40% of seats at WeWork in the first half of 2026, up from about 30% pre-pandemic. Small businesses, those with fewer than 500 employees, accounted for roughly 56% of seats, while mid-size firms, with 500 to 999 employees, made up the remainder.

The network is also keeping more of its members. The share of companies present in one year but not the next fell by nearly seven points year over year, from about 41% to 35%. Most of the companies that leave are small businesses, which also make up most of those joining, as smaller firms tend to open, grow, and close more often than larger ones.

Where the network grew

San Francisco stood out on the map: membership grew 8% on a wave of new small teams, with enterprises up 11%. Nearly half its members (48%) joined in just the past year, the highest share of any major market, with Miami close behind at 44%. This fits what’s happening across San Francisco, where AI companies have been taking a lot of office space. CBRE found the city’s office vacancy dropped about five points in a year, the biggest fall of any major U.S. city. 

Amsterdam and Toronto also grew by 5% and 3%, respectively. In Amsterdam, the gains came from every size of company, with enterprises up 10%; in Toronto, small businesses led, up 6%.

Across Asia-Pacific’s major markets, the network held steady: Singapore and Sydney each grew about 1%, with small businesses in Sydney up 4%, and Seoul was essentially flat.

Bigger footprints, steady deals

Companies are holding more space than a year ago, even though the size and length of the agreements they sign have changed very little.

10% more seats per company

On average, seats occupied by companies of all sizes increased by 9.9% in the first half of 2026. 

Small businesses saw their average footprint grow by 14.8%. Enterprises expanded their average footprint by 5.6%. Mid-size firms held steady. 

Among the companies present in both periods, 81% kept or expanded their footprint. That holds across sizes: 82% of small businesses, 71% of enterprises, and 70% of mid-size firms. 

The same holds by market. In every market analyzed, at least 80% of companies that stayed kept or grew their space, and in several, it was higher: 91% in Miami, 90% in Amsterdam, 88% in Seoul, and 87% in São Paulo, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Footprints by market

Footprints for every segment grew in 14 of the 20 major markets, with small businesses growing theirs in 18 of 20 major markets. 

In the United States and Canada, Los Angeles led with the average footprint up 13%, followed by Washington, D.C. and Boston at 10%, Toronto at 8%, and Chicago at 5%. In Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., enterprises led, expanding their footprints by 45% and 26%. San Francisco added enterprises faster than any other US market while keeping its average footprint level. In New York, small businesses grew their average footprint by 10%, and 84% of companies that stayed kept or expanded their space.

“Companies increasing their flexible space footprint across the United States and Canada is indicative of the new status-quo: a growing need for speed, agility, and adaptability in their real estate portfolios in today’s fast-paced and rapidly evolving economy,” shared Luke Robinson, Regional President for North America at WeWork. “From San Francisco to Washington D.C. and everywhere in between, even the largest enterprises are continuing to lean on flex to deliver exceptional workplace experiences for their employees while decreasing their long-term commitments where it makes sense.”

In EMEA, London grew 26% and Paris 19%, with companies of every size adding space: London’s enterprises expanded their footprint by 48% and its small businesses by 12%. London’s growth comes amid a broader shift in the city, where flexible space now accounts for about 10% of all central London offices, and CBRE expects it to reach 20% by 2030. Elsewhere in EMEA, small businesses in Berlin and Amsterdam added space as well, up 19% and 32%, respectively.

“Our latest data shows flexible workspace becoming an increasingly important part of companies’ real estate strategies. London is a powerful example: the average footprint of companies in our locations has grown significantly. Businesses increasingly recognise that they can’t predict exactly what their headcount or space requirements will look like several years from now. Flex gives them the agility to adapt as those needs change and is becoming a core part of how companies plan their real estate for the long term,” added Luke Armstrong, Regional President, EMEA.

Asia-Pacific grew across the board: Singapore up 12%, Seoul 11%, Sydney 6%. Enterprises in Singapore grew their footprint by 22%, and in Sydney by 16%.

In Latin America, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, and Mexico City saw the largest gains in footprint, up 21%, 16%, and 13%, respectively.

Deal sizes and terms held steady

The average number of seats per agreement increased 3.8%, and the average commitment rose 2%.

By size, little moved. Small deals of 1 to 9 desks, mid-size deals of 10 to 49, and large deals of 50 or more all stayed consistent with the year before.

One year on, companies aren’t signing dramatically bigger or longer deals. They’re holding more space overall and staying in it. Flexible real estate lets them add seats as teams grow, without committing to a fixed floor plan.

“A 21% increase in space per company in markets like Buenos Aires, and 87% of companies retaining or expanding their space in key markets such as São Paulo, confirm that flexibility is no longer a temporary alternative but the cornerstone of corporate efficiency and growth in the region,” said Claudio Hidalgo, President, LATAM.

On Demand up 20%

Reservation data offers a different view of the network, capturing desks and rooms booked through On Demand.

Around the world

On Demand activity grew across the network in the first half of 2026, averaging 82,241 reservations a month, up 20.4% from 68,279 a year earlier — roughly 14,000 more bookings each month. The increase comes as hybrid work settles in, with most people now in the office two or three days a week and booking space when they need it.  London was the busiest market for it, averaging about 10,700 reservations a month, and it grew 11% year over year. New York was the next, at roughly 8,500 a month.

By market

On Demand rose in 10 of the 17 markets that offer it. EMEA led: Amsterdam up 70%, Berlin 36%, Paris 20%, London 11%. London’s rise looks smaller only in percentage terms: it still books more On Demand reservations than Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris combined, so it’s a modest growth on paper but a significant one in reality. 

Elsewhere, Miami grew 12%, Mexico City 12%, Washington, D.C. 7% and Toronto 3%. Amsterdam stands out on both counts: one of the few markets where member companies grew, and the biggest gainer in On Demand bookings, up 70%.

Flex as an established option

The average footprint grew nearly 10%, rising in 14 of WeWork’s 20 major markets, and 8 in 10 companies present in both years kept or expanded theirs, from small ventures to global enterprises. 

Deal sizes and terms barely moved, so the growth came from companies adding seats and staying. Together with the growth in On Demand bookings, the picture is of companies treating flexible space as an established option rather than a temporary one: space they keep, and add to, as their needs change.

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This report is a product of WeWork Business Intelligence, the company’s data and research engine for understanding the complexities of the modern workplace. By combining global real estate trends with real-time market data, Business Intelligence gives leaders the evidence they need to navigate the changing world of work and deploy flexible, high-performing workspace strategies for the future.

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Methodology

• For this report, we analyzed internal membership data across our worldwide locations, comparing the first half of 2025 (January to June) with the first half of 2026. 
• We included all membership types except Business Address. For the company-level findings — footprint, retention, and deal metrics — we excluded On Demand and pay-per-use bookings, which are not memberships in the same sense. 
• We grouped companies by workforce size: enterprises (1,000 or more employees), medium businesses (500 to 999), and small businesses (fewer than 500). 
• Footprint figures reflect the average number of seats a company held per month. Deal size and term are based on new and renewal agreements signed in each period for committed, multi-desk memberships; month-to-month, dedicated desk, and hot desk agreements are excluded. 
• On Demand figures are monthly average reservations, excluding cancelled ones. 
• Market-level findings cover WeWork’s 20 major markets.