The number of people returning to work in the office in the UK saw a marginal increase last week and sits at the highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest data released by Remit Consulting.
The management consultant’s figures reveal that, for the week ending 20 May, average office occupancy rates for the UK were 28.1% – just 0.2 of a percentage point higher than the previous week, but still the highest percentage since Remit began its occupancy tracker in May 2021.
In London, the average occupancy rate reached 31.2%. The weekly average for the West End submarket was 42%. The average figure in the West End reached 50% on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week.
Lorna Landells of Remit Consulting said: “Despite the small increase in the weekly figures, the upward trajectory is promising.
“There are diverse views in the property sector regarding what constitutes maximum occupancy for offices, with some industry commentators suggesting that, due to holidays, external meetings, staff sickness and other operational issues, offices were only ever 60 to 80 per cent ‘full’ before the pandemic.”
She added: “Using the hypothetical 80% as the high watermark for a ‘full’ office before the pandemic, the latest national average figure of 28.1% equates to 35.1% of the occupancy levels typically seen before the pandemic. Using the same methodology, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are regularly achieving over 40% occupancy.”
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