Since mid-January, there’s been an uptick nationwide of people heading back to workspaces.
The numbers curated from electronic badges being swiped coincide roughly with Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 and his team’s subsequent mandate that federal workers return to the office five days a week, similar to corporate-led initiatives nationwide.
Kastle Systems’ “Back-to-Work Barometer” measures badge swipes weekly, comparing current occupancy levels with pre-pandemic levels in 10 major cities. The data baseline is February 2020, before Covid-19 closed workplaces globally.
More workers have returned to their place of employment since May 2023, but the pace has bumped up again in recent months, according to data provided by the Virginia-based security company.
The weekly national average occupancy rate of 54.5% reached a post-pandemic high March 5, according to the latest available figures. That’s the highest occupancy rate since March 11, 2020, about a week before the pandemic began, and when the Kastle reported a national average of 92.4%.
In the Los Angeles region, the average occupancy rate was 97% in March 2020, but quickly fell in line with national averages. At 49.3% as of March 12, the occupancy rate is near its post-pandemic peak hit in the past five years and has steadily grown by nearly a third from its 37.6% occupancy rate in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2025.
Commercial brokerages see stabilization in the office market, but the pandemic’s impact continues to linger, despite renewed efforts to get workers to return. While the sector may never fully recover to pre-pandemic times, here’s what the commercial office market currently looks like:
— Orange County saw a 17.2% vacancy rate for office space in 2024 — about flat with 17.3% in 2023, according to JLL.
— In Los Angeles, the vacancy rate totaled 28.4% in 2024, higher than the 23.9% seen in 2023.
— In the Inland Empire, the vacancy rate fell to 9.2% in 2024 from 9.5% in 2023.
Related Posts:
- Met Office reveals when sunshine will return to UK as Easter bank holiday washout hits just days after 24C heat News THE Met Office has revealed the exact date when Brits should expect sunshine after the wet and windy Easter bank holiday. With dark clouds rolling in with a cool and persistent breeze, many will be looking forward to the return of warmer weather. Alamy Some bank holidaymakers made the most…
- States push Medicaid work rules, but few programs help enrollees find jobs News By Sam Whitehead, Phil Galewitz and Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News For many years, Eric Wunderlin’s health issues made it hard to find stable employment. Struggling to manage depression and diabetes, Wunderlin worked part-time, minimum-wage retail jobs around Dayton, Ohio, making so little he said he sometimes had to choose…
- Giants Have Met With ‘Fearless’ Draft Stud a ‘Few Times’ Sports Finding a punt returner during the 2025 NFL draft may not seem like a priority for the New York Giants, but the team has been doing plenty of due diligence on one “fearless” prospect. The player in question is Virginia Tech wide receiver Jaylin Lane. He’s “a (mostly) fearless punt…
- Blackhawks' few remaining veterans know they'll rely on young core to carry team forward News Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno spoke several times during the latter portion of this season — as well as during exit interviews Thursday — about “weeding out” players who aren’t emotionally invested in the organization’s long-term plan. Interim coach Anders Sorensen, meanwhile, spoke about a hidden “undercurrent” that made the Hawks…
- Yankees Get More Bad News on Pitching Staff Despite Return of Injured Starter Sports Heading into their Wednesday game hosting the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees sat atop the American League East with a 10-7 record â though they led by just nine percentage points over the 11-8 Toronto Blue Jays. But the success that the defending American League champs have enjoyed…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)