Offices in Perth hit 80% occupancy in November, while Melbourne recorded its highest occupancy levels since the pandemic began, according to the latest Property Council of Australia Office Occupancy survey.
Melbourne enjoyed the largest increase in the country, with rates lifting 12% last month to 57%, the highest level since the pandemic began.
Perth’s nation-leading occupancy rates were the highest the city has seen since November 2020. Meanwhile, Sydney’s office occupancy rose to 59%, its highest level since June 2021.
Occupancy also increased in Brisbane (64 to 67%), while Adelaide remained at 74%, and Canberra dipping from 57 to 52% to record the lowest occupancy levels in the country.
Property Council Chief Executive Ken Morrison said the strong jump in Melbourne was very welcome and a very positive sign of recovery for that city: “The Melbourne momentum has begun, with the biggest jump in office occupancy of any city in the country and a new post-pandemic high.
“This is a big vibrancy boost for Melbourne and for all our CBDs where office workers are now spending more time with their colleagues in their workplaces.
“Interestingly, peak office occupancy days in Melbourne are actually the third highest in the country at 75%, but its low days are the second lowest in the country at 39%.
“Perth’s result showed that the actions of political leaders can have a strong influence on the vibrancy of their CBDs.
“While Perth didn’t experience the same severity of lockdowns as other cities, Premier McGowan sent very clear and early messages that public servants needed to remain connected to their workplaces and this has had strong results.”
WA Premier Mark McGowan earlier this year said while he was not opposed to flexible working, he believed that having people regularly working from home was not good for society, the community or CBDs. He also urged the state’s public servants to work from their offices rather than home.
“Public sector leadership is important and there are definite lessons to be drawn from Perth’s success for other cities, including Canberra which went backwards last month,” Morrison continued.
“Occupancy on peak days reached 88% in Perth, 77% in Adelaide, 75% in Melbourne, 74 in Sydney, 73% in Brisbane and 67% in Canberra.