The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Coworking spaces are vital for local start-ups and crucial for technology giants such as Lenovo and Google. However, it is the non-tech companies, including those in the finance and media industries, that will mark the next wave of collaborative working, coworking space providers have said.

As Indonesia marches ahead with its Industry 4.0 digitalization master plan, more non-tech companies are expected to use collaborative spaces to attract and retain young professionals who can expedite digital innovation, thus keeping the companies ahead of the competition.

“Large companies will either reinvent themselves to be more like coworking spaces or work with coworking space providers. Either way, they will have to create an environment that fosters innovation,” said Miguel McKelvey, founder of coworking multinational WeWork.

WeWork’s Indonesian clientele consists of 25 to 35 percent multinationals from varying industries while the remaining 65 to 75 percent mostly comprise freelancers and startups, according to Southeast Asia managing director Turochas “T” Fuad.

Fuad attributed the high percentage of multinationals to his company’s ability to scale services for large corporations by renting out entire floors with custom designs, whereas smaller coworking spaces rent by individual desks.

Felencia Hutabarat, secretary-general of the Coworking Indonesia association, said she was also optimistic over the industry’s growth even though there were still many businesses that hesitated to share space with others.

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