News Release: UK office occupancy hit the third-highest weekly figure since the start of the pandemic.
- Office occupancy levels up 3.6% on the previous week
Average office occupancy levels reached 34.7% last week, the third-highest weekly figure recorded since the start of the pandemic, with an increase of 3.6 percentage points from the previous week, according to research from Remit Consulting.
The national average was boosted by London’s West End market, with a weekly average occupancy rate of 61.9%, outperforming the City and Docklands markets, which had occupancy rates of 31.1% and 40.6% respectively.
Lorna Landells of Remit Consulting commented, “The improved figures follow a week that saw some industrial action on the railways, and we have previously recorded uplifts in the figures following rail strikes as staff try to catch up with time at their desks and face-to-face meetings in the office.
“However, this is a significant improvement on the previous six weeks that saw a national average occupancy rate of offices of 30.8% and will be seen as good news by investors, landlords and those businesses reliant on trade from office workers such as retailers and food & beverage operators,” she added.
Remit Consulting’s data confirms that midweek remains the favoured time for office attendance, with national rates peaking at an average of 43.1% on Tuesday, 40.8% on Wednesday and 39.8% on Thursday before falling to just 19.9% on Friday 13th.
Research carried out before the pandemic, suggested office occupancy rates ranged between 60% and 80%, influenced by elements such as holidays, employee absences, and external meetings.