Future Cities
Regional Insights
Perspective 1 of Our 2024-2025 CBRE Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights Series
May 28, 2025 5 Minute Read
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Executive Summary
- In the Americas, clients are adopting strategic and creative approaches to workplace design with a strong emphasis on hybrid models, prioritizing custom amenities to enhance employee experience and workplace effectiveness.
- The Asia-Pacific region has seen significant growth, with 57% of clients expecting further expansion, driven by optimization strategies such as space renovations and increased space-sharing. Utilization rates are notably high, particularly in China and India, where office attendance policies reflect a desire for employees to work in the office multiple days a week.
- EMEA companies are focused on balancing a continued need for cost reduction with targeted investments in workplace experience. They are reconsidering their hybrid design strategies as attendance policies shift, which may require adjustments such as leasing additional space or increasing office density to meet rising demand.
Portfolio Changes
Across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions, distinct trends in portfolio changes are emerging. In the Americas, a growing number of companies—47% compared to 31% in 2023—expect portfolio expansion by 2027, influenced by recent large-scale consolidations and new return-to-work policies. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific has seen a higher rate of growth than other regions over the past three years, a trend that is set to continue with more than half (57%) of occupiers anticipating expansion, according to recent surveys.
In contrast, the EMEA region is grappling with macro-economic pressures, leading to a focus on real estate costs. Here, 70% expect to reduce their portfolios within the next three years, driven by a 33% increase in those prioritizing portfolio optimization and a 47% rise in respondents targeting cost savings within their portfolios. Many EMEA companies are now concentrating on optimizing their already-consolidated portfolios through strategies like renegotiating leases and increasing space-sharing, with over 60% targeting a ratio of at least two people per seat, significantly higher than in other regions.
Figure 1: Portfolio Changes 2020-2027
Occupancy & Utilization Rates
Occupancy and utilization rates exhibit distinct regional trends across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA. In the Americas, occupancy rates remain relatively stable, with average utilization at 32%, slightly above the Americas’ 2023 average but below the current global average of 38%. Notably, the Financial and Professional Services sector in New York City has peak utilization rates of 50%-60%. This is accompanied by a substantial increase in seat-sharing ratios, with 65% reporting a 1.5:1 ratio, while some clients, particularly in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector, are reverting to a 1:1 ratio, prompting potential space expansions.
In Asia-Pacific, occupancy rates have plateaued while utilization rates have surged. Average utilization has increased from 40% in 2023 to 50% in 2024, and even higher in key markets like China and India, with average utilization at 58% and 53% respectively. According to CBRE’s 2024 Asia Pacific Office Occupier Survey, peak utilization is also high in Asia-Pacific, with 43% of companies observing 80%-100% peak utilization in their offices (compared to 30% and 26% of companies in the U.S. and Europe respectively). Additional survey findings point to factors driving this trend, including high in-office attendance expectations: 70% of companies want employees to work in the office three or more days a week, and 36% aim for a full five days.
In EMEA, space per seat has increased by 14% over four years, reversing a long-term trend of densification,1 and the occupancy rate for 2024 stands at 115%, with an average utilization rate of 39%. The region faces the highest deviation between average and peak utilization, indicating a challenge in attendance distribution throughout the week. Hybrid remains the primary work mode, with an increasing shift toward three or more days in the office due to stricter policies, which may continue to elevate utilization rates in 2025, albeit below pre-pandemic levels.
Figure 2A: Average Office Utilization Rates from Q2 2023-Q2 2024
Figure 2B: 2021-2024 Average Office Occupancy Rates
Figure 2C: Target Desk-Sharing Ratios
1 British Council for Office, 2018.
Space Composition
In the Americas, the office space composition is shifting toward reduced individual spaces, with an 11% decrease from 2023, while shared support and collaboration spaces have seen increases of 20% and 11%, respectively. The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector shows a balanced distribution among individual, collaboration and support spaces, whereas industries like Financial and Professional Services, Retail and Healthcare maintain a higher proportion of individual spaces, exceeding 50%.
In Asia-Pacific, individual space has continued to decline to 38% of total space. This decline is in line with general global trends over recent years, and for the second year, APAC’s proportion of individual space is broadly in line with other regions. However, unlike other regions, the shift has been more toward support and amenity space rather than collaboration areas; for instance, amenity space in China surged from 17% to 26% between 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, the EMEA region has been transformed over the past four years, with a 30% reduction in individual workspaces and an increase in collaboration, support and amenity spaces, reflecting an emphasis on in-person collaboration and social interaction. The rise in amenity space, which has grown by 54% since 2021, is largely driven by return-to-office programs and a focus on enhancing office appeal, aligning with broader trends in prime office development where occupiers prioritize quality and experience.
Figure 3: Workplace Planning Concepts
Figure 4: Workplace Planning Trends
Overall, regional differences highlight varying priorities and strategies in workplace design and employee engagement across the Americas, APAC, and EMEA. As we analyze the evolving landscape of workplace occupancy and optimization strategies across different regions, it is evident that companies are adapting to new norms. The Americas, EMEA and APAC regions exhibit distinct trends in occupancy rates, space utilization and workplace strategies, reflecting their unique economic conditions and corporate priorities.
About the Series
Hybrid work has sparked a balancing act to create workplaces that satisfy both employer and employee needs. Our five-part 2024-2025 CBRE Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights series has explored effective versus efficient metrics, strategic hybrid programs, the role of physical spaces and the transformative power of technology and AI. Taken together, the articles detail a comprehensive approach to creating productive and satisfying work environments. In addition, CBRE plans to publish supplemental articles that provide perspectives and insights on the themes and trends discussed in the five-part series.
In this article, “Perspective 1: Regional Insights,” we explore changes in workplace portfolios and space utilization and occupancy trends across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.
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Contacts
Paul Chee
Senior Director, Head of Occupancy Management, Advisory Services, Asia Pacific
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