For the third month in a row, Canberra’s office occupancy rates have increased during a difficult period, according to the latest survey by the Property Council of Australia.
Acting ACT Executive Director Adele Lausberg said the three per cent increase during the final phase of the latest wave of Omicron and flu infections was promising.
“Although the rates only increased from 61 per cent to 64 per cent it shows a resilient office market during a harsh winter, with us even hitting a peak of 78 per cent on some days,” Ms Lausberg said.
“It’s very pleasing to see plenty of people returning to their workplaces and to see the August figures nudge slightly higher here in Canberra, despite the challenging environment of work from home advice, Covid and flu cases.
“While the results are still a way off the previous recovery high points seen around May 2021, they show the resilience of the Canberra CBD office, with occupancy levels remaining stable throughout a difficult period.
” Health concerns surrounding the latest wave also proved to be a major influence on the data, but fell from 30 to 15 per cent, while public transport concerns fell from 13 to 12 per cent.
“People are the lifeblood of CBDs, and we don’t yet have enough of them back in our city centres to support our ecosystems of small businesses that call our CBDs home,” Ms Lausberg said.
“With spring approaching and the Omicron wave having peaked, the recovery momentum towards a new normal should resume.”
The survey was conducted in the field between 25 and 31 August 2022
Media:Â Aidan Green | E [email protected]