Many office markets in the Asia Pacific region are seeing at least a significant minority of office staff mixing up home and office working, however full time working from home remains rare.

Simon Smith, Head of Research & Consultancy, Asia Pacific at Savills, says: “Hybrid working remains common in office markets all over the region, although we see a continued push from employers for staff to spend more time in the office.

“Outside a limited number of markets, hybrid working seems set to stay for the longer term, which means employers and office owners need to provide office working environments which provide an attractive alternative to remote working, with the amenities staff desire.”

The picture varies across the region, depending on working culture, home size and commuting times. For example, the vast majority of Chinese white collar workers are back in the office full time and the same applies in Korea and Vietnam.

James Macdonald, Head of Research & Consultancy at Savills China, says: “Most people are back in the office full-time. We have heard of some companies offering increasing flexibility; however this tends to be a cost-saving exercise or part of a global initiative.”

At the other end of the scale, Savills data show 80% of office workers in Sydney are engaged in hybrid working and only 15% back in the office full time. Chris Naughtin, National Director, Capital Markets, Research & Consultancy at Savills Australia says: “Anecdotally, we hear businesses are pushing for full time office return, but I think it’s been hard to implement. It varies depending on industry: banks are mandating at least some time in the office, while tech firms are more flexible.”

Tech firms in India are similarly offering more flexible working arrangements and, at 10%, the level of fully remote working is higher amongst Indian tech firms than anywhere else in the region. Indian tech workers are 10 times more likely to work from home than their non-tech equivalents.

Perhaps surprisingly, Tokyo seems to have embraced hybrid working, with 62% of office workers splitting time between home and office. This is especially the case amongst larger companies. However Savills data show this has not dampened the Tokyo office market, as rents of both Grade A and Grade B space rose in the last quarter of 2023.

Southeast Asian markets such as Singapore and Thailand are showing a mix of working styles, but still very low take-up of full time remote or homeworking.

Smith says: “There is little appetite for full time homeworking, while it is still the choice for one third of US workers and more than a quarter of those in the UK. This is a positive for office markets in the Asia Pacific region.”

Further reading:
Asia Pacific Prime Benchmark

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Simon Smith | James Macdonald | Chris Naughtin