By:  Hellen Zaboulani

Big Apple offices are filling up more than previously reported.  A new survey by the Partnership for New York City was released on Monday saying that 58 percent of Manhattan office workers are working from the office on an average weekday.  That figure was at 52 percent in late January 2023, and at 49 percent in September 2022.  The Partnership’s survey found that the “rate of return” to offices is at 72 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

As per the NY Post, this latest data is significantly more optimistic than the Kastle Systems Back-to-Work Barometer, in which the last report cited occupancy of 50.1 percent in “metro” New York offices, and has usually reported even lower attendance in its weekly updates.  The new Partnership study is a metric of how full offices are, rather than the percentage of workers who go to the office. The Partnership added that before the pandemic, Manhattan offices were on average only 80% occupied on any given day — because of people who were out sick, on vacations, business travel, off-site meetings, or otherwise absent.  “So the actual drop off in office attendance since 2019 is much smaller than has been previously assumed,” the Partnership explained.

Many people agree that workplaces feel significantly fuller since September this latest data is significantly more optimistic than the Kastle Systems Back-to-Work Barometer, in which the last report cited occupancy of 50.1 percent in “metro” New York offices, and has usually reported even lower attendance in its weekly updates.  The hustle and bustle seems be in full swing at top towers such as One Vanderbilt, One Bryant Park, 1585 Broadway, 787 Seventh Ave, and 30 Hudson Yards. None of those buildings, however, are included in the Kastle surveys, as they only count entry clicks at locations where Kastle provides security services.

Most of the buildings in which they handle security are Class A-minus or Class B locations, and it only handles one of the city’s 11 largest commercial landlords.  Its “barometer” includes no data from buildings managed by illustrious developers including Related Companies, SL Green, Tishman Speyer, Vornado, Boston Properties, and other posh buildings which boast higher attendance than smaller landlords do.  The newer and better, Class A buildings are undeniably faring better.  They have higher concentrations tenants in real estate, financial and law firms—and those industries have the highest average daily office attendance — respectively, 75, 65 and 65%, per the Partnership of NYC.

Per the Post, the survey also found that just 6% of employees are working remote-only, down from 10% last January.  The Partnership’s data is based on a survey of “more than 140 major Manhattan office employers” between Aug. 23 and Sept. 15.  As a business-advocacy organization, they may prefer to report optimism.