Adaptive Spaces
Industry Sector Insights
Perspective 2 of Our 2024-2025 CBRE Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights Series
June 11, 2025 6 Minute Read
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Executive Summary
The most effective use of office space continues to evolve, driven by the interplay of hybrid work policies and workplace experience. CBRE’s data indicates that while sectors such as Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) have been pioneers in adopting flexible workspace solutions, other sectors are catching up. The recalibration of space composition, prioritization of collaboration spaces and adoption of seat-sharing practices reflect a broader trend toward creating more adaptive and effective work environments.
Metrics that Matter
Design Density
The rentable or usable square footage per seat
Design density was very volatile between 2021 and 2023, with clients recalibrating their portfolios and workplace strategies. Between 2021 and 2022, design density fell 26% in the Infrastructure & Public Enterprise sector before reversing course with a 48% increase over the past 24 months. Healthcare design density increased by 75% between 2021 and 2022, but has declined for the past three years. At 160 sq. ft. per seat, Healthcare’s density aligns with the lowest end of the range with Financial & Professional Services (FPS).
The increase in space-per-seat reflects the recalibration of workplace design to prioritize employee experience. Since 2023 most sectors have stabilized, with less than 10% change over the past 12 months, indicating that companies have evolved their design guidelines.
Figure 1: Design Density by Sector
People Density
The rentable or usable square footage per person
Energy, Oil & Gas is leading this metric with the most significant change in people density year-over-year, signaling a maturity of workplace-design strategies. Infrastructure & Public Enterprise had the largest overall people-density decline of 51% since 2021, indicating early adoption of hybrid programs and seat-sharing policies. Industrial & Logistics (I&L) initially increased people density by 32% between 2021 and 2022 but has steadily decreased density over the past three years. I&L historically lags workplace trends, but in the past 12 months, they have aligned with the other sectors, indicating confidence in sharing ratios and workplace strategy.
In the past 12 months, Healthcare had a 58% decrease in square footage per person, indicating that sharing ratios and hybrid strategy are recalibrating to a metric similar to 2021. The four-year trend in healthcare aligns with the pandemic-era desire for spaciousness and the current trend of prioritizing the creation of effective, mutually beneficial workplaces.
Overall in 2024, people density tightened the spread between the sectors by 53%, resulting in a density range of 160 to 236 sq. ft. per person.
Figure 2: People Density by Sector
Collaboration Ratios
The ratio of collaboration seats to individual seats, most often calculated using only enclosed collaborative seats (e.g., conference rooms), but may also include open seats (soft seating or conversational areas) based on the clients’ use of collaboration
Healthcare has shown the most significant increase in collaboration ratio from 2021 to 2023, going from 0.32 collaboration seats per individual seat to 0.62 (up 94%) and has stabilized with no change in the past 24 months. An increased collaboration ratio is a leading indicator that the healthcare sector is adopting new workstyles.
Conversely, Financial & Professional Services (FPS) has seen a sharp 59% decline since 2021 and a 32% decline over the past 12 months. The ratio is currently at 0.39 collaboration seats per individual seat, indicating a significant shift in space composition. FPS is undergoing a transformation, driven by large occupiers shedding portfolio square footage and increased mandates for in-office presence, resulting in more collaboration seats.
Life Sciences (LS) has the highest collaboration ratio of 1.09 collaboration seats per individual seats. LS has historically had a higher-than-average collaboration ratio and continues to be 36% higher than other sectors, indicating a workplace that prioritizes teamwork in driving innovation and culture.
Figure 3: Collaboration Ratio by Sector
Seat-Sharing Ratios
A planning concept that identifies the number of people that can share a single seat over time; clients use various strategies and data to determine this
From our findings in Part 4: Effective Spaces: For the first time, we see 62% of organizations with a target sharing ratio at or above 1.5 employees per desk. This means more employees are sharing workspaces and reducing the overall space required per person. Adopting desk sharing, activity-based working and hot-desking practices reflect most sectors’ move toward more flexible and effective workplace solutions. The increase in seat sharing is inversely proportional to the decrease in individual or ‘Me’ space consistently across all sectors.
TMT has been a leading indicator of seat-sharing ratios since 2021. In fact, TMT was an early adopter of seat-sharing ratios of more than 1.0-1.49 people per seat and the first sector to shift away from assigned seats in 2022. Notably, over the past 12 months, most sectors have embraced higher seat-sharing ratios of more than 1.5:1, while the TMT sector is moving in the opposite direction, with 43% assigning 1.0 person per seat (up 115% from 2021). Over the past four years, the more cost-conscious sectors have seen a 12- to 18-month lag, following the TMT trend.
In the past few months, TMT has also seen a significant shift toward attendance-policy mandates. In alignment with both mandates and 1:1 seating, larger occupiers are increasing their emphasis on individual workspace to attract people back to the office. Mid-to-smaller occupiers are following the trends of 2023 and 2024 and focusing on employee experience, including adding new amenities. These changes have necessitated new metrics to validate their return-to-office strategies, including workstyle persona development (mapping a job function to where someone works), more formalized utilization tracking, and more emphasis on allocating neighborhood seats to a department or team.
Figure 4: Global Target Sharing Ratios, 2024 vs. 2021
Space Composition & Designing for New Hybrid Workstyles
Space Composition: The percentage of total rentable square footage used for Individual, Collaboration, Support and Amenity space
In the past 12 months, “Me” space continued to shrink (down 11%), “We” space remains unchanged, and both Support and Amenity space rose by 16% and 6% from last year, respectively. After the seismic shifts in space composition from 2021 through 2023, the current trends indicate that companies are establishing more effective workplaces that balance hybrid policy, workplace guidelines and employer expectations.
Not only do the trends indicate stabilization, but all sectors are showing a similar response. If the previous four years resemble skipping a rock across the water, then in 2024 we see the ripple becoming smoother.
Figure 5: Office-Space Composition Changes by Sector Since 2021
Conclusion
Companies are balancing hybrid policies, workplace guidelines and employer expectations, leading to more effective and mutually beneficial workplaces. Organizations must continue monitoring these metrics and trends to ensure their workplaces align with business needs and cultural objectives. The insights in this series offer valuable guidance for organizations seeking to navigate the complexities of modern workplace strategies and create environments that foster innovation, productivity and employee satisfaction.
About the Series
Hybrid work has necessitated a balancing act to create workplaces that satisfy both employer and employee needs. Our five-part 2024-2025 CBRE Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights series has explored effective versus efficient metrics, strategic hybrid programs, the role of physical spaces and the transformative power of technology and AI. Taken together, the articles illuminate a comprehensive approach to creating productive and satisfying work environments. CBRE is also publishing supplemental articles that provide deeper insights into the themes and trends discussed in the five-part series.
In this article, Perspective 2: Industry Sector Insights, we explore how workplaces are evolving across industry sectors, the metrics that matter and emerging trends that will shape the future of work.
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Contacts
Carole Hunter
Managing Director, AMS Consulting
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