Perth was the only state to show a drop in office occupancy in August but is the second highest in the nation.
Office occupancy in Perth’s CBD has dropped to 69 per cent in August as more people work from home during the wet weather, Property Council figures show.
The level of people working in the office decreased by 2 per cent last month, being the only states in Australia to drop and marking the first time it has dropped since March this year.
In August, Melbourne CBD rose to 39 per cent office occupancy, Canberra lifted to 64 per cent, Sydney increased to 53 per cent and Adelaide was up 6 per cent to 71 per cent.
The Property Council of Australia analysis is based on a percentage of pre-COVID levels.
Property Council of Australia Ken Morrison said despite only small increases in occupancy, the data reveals a resilient office market, with peak days remaining high across most of the nation.
"While the results are still a way off the previous recovery high points seen around May 2021, they show the resilience of CBD office markets, with occupancy levels remaining stable throughout a challenging period,” he said.
“It’s fair to say Melbourne’s occupancy at 39 per cent remains a concern, but you would hope that starts to lift again as the months get warmer and the omicron wave recedes.”
Property Council of Australia WA Division executive director Sandra Brewer said Perth continued to perform well in this space.
“Perth continues to have one of the highest levels of occupancy in the country and we predict a steady increase as we move into the warmer summer months,” he said.
“Most likely, the 2 per cent dip in occupancy compared to last month is a reflection of workers staying at home with winter colds and a month of heavy rain.”
Last month, Perth’s office occupancy figures were the highest in the nation at 71 per cent.
