The UK’s office occupancy rate hit the highest level since the country reemerged from lockdown, but is still less than half of pre-pandemic levels.
According to new figures from Remit Consulting, the nationwide office occupancy rate was 35.9%. While this was well below the 80% estimate for before the pandemic, it was the highest figure since the data was first taken when most offices began to reopen.
Lorna Landells of Remit Consulting said that while occupancy was low in the first week of April, it has picked up steam in the post-Easter period.
“The number of people commuting and working in the office on a daily basis was heavily impacted by the double bank holiday over the Easter period, and on a monthly basis, the national average occupancy for the first three weeks of April was just 27.9%.
“However, post-Easter, occupancy levels recovered strongly to reach the highest level since our survey began, and only the second time it has exceeded 35%.”
She added that while London occupancy rates varied strongly depending on the submarket, the West End performed particularly well with an average occupancy rate of 47.6%.
Levels of occupancy are still much higher on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays than Mondays and Fridays, exceeding 40% on the three midweek days.
