APAC office attendance reaches new equilibrium as AI adoption accelerates

Nearly 90% of APAC firms said employees work in the office at least three days a week.

Office attendance across Asia Pacific has reached a new post-pandemic equilibrium, with companies increasingly shifting their focus from getting employees back to the workplace towards improving office experience and operational efficiency, according to CBRE's 2026 Asia Pacific Office Occupier Survey.

Nearly nine in 10 respondents, or 88 per cent, said employees work in the office at least three days a week, the highest level recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic. A further 85 per cent believe office attendance has reached a steady state.

Tom Gaffney, Head of Leasing, Asia Pacific at CBRE, said the workplace conversation has shifted as attendance and utilisation have stabilised at higher levels. Companies can now focus on transforming their workplaces to improve employee experience and efficiency, he said.

AI adoption within corporate real estate operations has also accelerated. Some 46 per cent of respondents described themselves as AI adopters or active movers in applying AI to corporate real estate, up sharply from 9 per cent in 2024.

CBRE said AI is currently being used primarily to improve operational efficiency, decision-making and workplace management. Its effect on office demand, however, remains uncertain.

More than half of occupiers surveyed said AI has had no impact on their real estate requirements, or that it is still too early to determine its effect on workforce size or office footprints.

The findings suggest that, despite rapid adoption of AI within corporate real estate functions, its near-term implications for office demand remain limited, CBRE said.