Skanska office index indicates need for more office space in CEE

About one third of companies located in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) will need more office space in the coming year, according to a survey carried out by Skanska in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The Swedish construction and development giant surveyed 600 companies with 50 employees and/or at least 500 m² of office space.

The survey, conducted in October and November 2007, shows that only 7% of the respondents thought that they would need less space in the coming year. In the Czech Republic, 41% of the respondents are of the opinion that there will be more employees in the office spaces that their companies rent, while only 6% expect a decrease.

When deciding on the rental of new office space the respondents in the Czech Republic think that the following would be among the most important factors: energy costs; whether the spaces provide a pleasant and high-quality working environment; and parking spots available near the property.

The respondents from the Czech companies evaluated the market in which they are operating very positively overall: 88% describe their industry as expanding. In Poland the figure was as high as 94% and in Hungary 59%. When considering their company's position within its industry or field of activity, more than half of the respondents (57%) from the Czech Republic stated that their company is developing better than the industry's average value, and 36% believe that their company's rate of development corresponds to the industry average.