New forms of employment Coworking, Spain

Coworking (in Spanish Cotrabajo or Trabajo Cooperativo) is defined as a form of work that allows independent professionals entrepreneurs and from different sectors to share a common work space, either physical or virtual, to develop their own projects while, at the same time, enhancing the possibilities for joint initiatives. The first Spanish coworking centres opened in 2007. Since then, the phenomenon has experienced rapid growth. In 2011, there were only 50 centres but, according to the Global Coworking Census 2013 (Deskwanted, 2013) , there were 199 coworking centres in Spain, placing it third globally in this respect. It is estimated that, in 2013, around 7,000 self-employees, freelancers and micro companies participated in coworking centres (Coworking Spain, 2013). Moreover, according to the coworking website deskmag.com, Spain has witnessed the highest increase in Google searches for the word ‘coworking’. The increasing popularity of coworking centres in Spain has triggered various initiatives aimed at promoting the exchange of experience and ideas related to this form of employment. For instance, an annual conference on coworking where the managers, administrators and users of coworking spaces meet to discuss the latest developments in the sector, has been taking place in Spain since 2011. Also, in 2013 there were two coworking associations (the Spanish Association of Coworking Spaces (AECOWORKING) and the Spanish Coworking Association (Asociación Española de Coworking, AECW) established to help coworking centres in Spain with the provision of services, including legal, administrative, strategic and organisational support.