Brisbane is leading the charge as more Australian workers return to the office, new CBRE data shows.
CBD office attendance nationwide averaged 75 per cent of pre-COVID levels in Q4 – up from 72 per cent in the prior quarter and 70 per cent at the start of last year, according to CBRE’s latest Australian Return to Office Indicator.
CBRE’s Australian Head of Office Research Tom Broderick noted that Brisbane had experienced the biggest improvement in the past 12 months, with average weekly attendance rates rising from 78 per cent to 88 per cent, largely due to the introduction of 50 cent public transport fares.
“While office attendance has risen across all of Australia’s CBD markets, the smaller cities of Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide have maintained the strongest attendance rates, which are close to pre-COVID levels on peak days,” Mr Broderick said.
“Brisbane has been the standout following the now permanent cut in public transport fares. While most of the boost to public transport usage has been on weekends, there is also clear evidence of a lift in peak hour weekday usage, which is driving better office attendance.”
It comes after the release this month of the Property Council’s Office Market Report which showed vacancy rates remained stable.
The January 2025 edition of the twice-yearly Office Market Report showed Australia’s CBD office vacancy increased marginally from 13.6 to 13.7 per cent over the six months to January 2025, thanks to increased supply and despite positive demand in four capitals.
The non-CBD office vacancy rate stayed at 17.2 per cent, with the overall vacancy rate for both the CBD and Non-CBD markets increasing 0.1 per cent to 14.7 per cent.
CBRE’s data highlights that average weekly attendance rates have climbed from 89 per cent to 90 per cent in Perth, by 81 per cent to 83 per cent in Adelaide and by 54 per cent to 65 per cent in Canberra since Q4 2023.
In Sydney, office attendance has improved from 72 per cent to a 76 per cent weekly average.
Sydney is showing the largest discrepancy of any city between the weekly average and peak day attendance, which is averaging 87 per cent of pre-COVID levels on Tuesdays.
Melbourne office attendance has improved by about the same rate as Sydney over the past 12 months, rising from 57 per cent to 61 per cent as of Q4 2024.
Peak day Melbourne attendance has climbed to 71 per cent on Thursdays, while Fridays are still the quietest day.
Hybrid work remains prevalent across the country, although CBRE’s report points to organisations placing a heightened emphasis on the benefits of physical office attendance, including collaboration, strengthening company culture, networking and mentoring younger employees.
And it’s not just an Australian trend, with early February data suggesting that office attendance in the US has reached 54 per cent of pre-COVID levels after stagnating at around 50 per cent over the past two years.