20
How You Work: People, Places & Flexible Workspaces
THE CULTURAL FORCES
01 Entrepreneurship
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor recorded over
400 million active entrepreneurs in 2014. Over 55%
cite passion and autonomy as the key motivations
for self-employment, preferring the ability to choose
when, where, how and on what to work. With more
than 10.2m registered businesses between 2010
and 2014 and over 40 million people self-employed
in developed economies, the global office market
is seeing more than ever a need to accommodate
a surging demand for short-term, low-cost, flexible
workspace from micro businesses.
02 Technology
The digital economy is expected to account for 5.3% of GDP
in the G-20 countries by 2016. This represents one of the
world’s fastest growing industries owing to a global rise in
core technology companies and to a growing reliance on
technology by the professional services market; approximately
50% of banking employees are now engaged in IT and
technology related roles. The allure of the industry for its
participants is in its potential. Companies require little
resource to start but are able to scale rapidly if adopted. With
significant reward available at comparatively low risk, the
industry is flourishing, and with it, the demand for flexibility.
“We have more software
developers than Google,
and more technologists
than Microsoft.”
Anish Bhimani
, JPMorgan Chase
Digital Economy
percentage of GDP by 2016
12.4
%
UK
6.9
%
China
5.4
%
US
4
%
Germany
The Lounge, Euston Tower, London