Last year was supposed to be the one of returning to the office. The same could be said for 2021, and even the second half of 2020. The office seems to have become a place where we’re always “returning” but never quite “arriving”.

Although office occupancy rates have risen meaningfully, they are still nowhere near pre-pandemic norms in most of the country. In most big cities, offices are still empty more than half the time. Even in Austin, Texas – which has the highest occupancy rate among large cities, according to Kastle Systems badge-in data – workplaces are still much emptier than before the pandemic.

Bloomberg Opinion