The fledgling Dublin flexible office market is seeing improved demand as a growing number of occupiers adopt more fluid and flexible working patterns, according to a new report from CBRE Ireland.

The agent's Flex Office Operator Survey 2025 found that businesses are prioritising buildings with amenity-rich facilities such as high-quality meeting rooms, fitness facilities and breakout spaces, but it says that Dublin’s flexible space remains well below European city averages, leaving space for expansion and new players.

In 2024, there was 79K SF of takeup by flex office operators in the Dublin market, which included notable deals at 3-8 Hume St. with Iconic Offices and at The Freight Building, where new entrant operator xDanu signed a long-term lease with landlord Glenveagh Properties.

CBRE’s survey of 13 major flex office providers found that more than 60% of respondents identified financial and professional services as the primary source of demand for desk space during 2024, followed by technology, while the average occupancy rate was nearly 80%. More than half of companies had requirements for 15 to 25 desks, while a further 15% required between 25 and 50 desks.

On average, the cost for a desk in a flexible office in Dublin ranged from €600 to €800 per month, largely unchanged from 2023, while high-end offerings such as Grafter at 6-7 St Stephen's Green and Iput Real Estate’s Making it Work business, which operates across various prime locations in Dublin, continued to see strong demand.

“There has been an ongoing trend with new operators exploring the market but seeking to unlock transactions on alternative deal structures, including revenue shares and management agreements,” CBRE Ireland Executive Director and Head of Tenant Advisory Dan Shannon said in a statement.

New openings in 2025 included Whitefire Offices at 19-21 Aston Quay, Dublin 2, but total serviced office stock still accounts for less than 3% of the overall office market, which is much less than many other major European cities. CBRE said that while it has “visibility on some granular growth over the next 12 months,” supply is unlikely to increase significantly, and it has seen continuous interest from new operators seeking to enter the market.

Participants in the survey included Clearspace, Glandore, Iconic Offices, Investi, IWG, Making it Work, Pembr, Sonbrook, Viridis, WeWork and Whitefire.