The global average building utilization rate dramatically jumped in 2025 to 53%, the highest since before the pandemic, validating the effectiveness of hybrid strategies in driving more in-office activity, according to CBRE.
Utilization rates were 38% in 2024 and 35% in 2023, compared to the 65% that most respondents to CBRE’s global workplace occupancy benchmarking program identified as their target. Increasing utilization is the top goal of 81% of commercial real estate teams, and it’s the most tracked metric for optimizing portfolios, CBRE said.
Average peak utilization now stands at 80%, hitting target rates for the first time since early 2020, CBRE said in the first part of its 2026 global workplace and occupancy insights series. The high peak utilization suggested employers are succeeding in bringing employees back to the office for events or collaboration-based activities.
CBRE says improved utilization is a result of corporate real estate teams optimizing their property footprints by better matching their space to the needs of a hybrid workforce. As part of this, building operators are increasing occupancy density, fitting more workstations and people into existing footprints, often on a rotating basis.
Desk sharing is now the norm, CBRE says, with 69% of clients reporting that more than 40% of their workers don’t have their own designated desk, and no organization is reporting a one-to-one seating ratio target.
The majority of building operators target a seat sharing ratio — the number of people per workspace — of between 1.01 and 1.49 people per seat; about a third, or 33%, are targeting more than 1.5 people per seat, signaling “a retreat from more aggressive sharing models.”
“This high occupancy rate, enabled by hybrid work, highlights the importance of rotating schedules and flexible work arrangements,” CBRE said. “It also indicates that organizations have been actively optimizing their space usage for the last several years, recognizing that not every employee needs to be in the office simultaneously.”
Fluctuating attendance and desk sharing — efforts to balance demand with supply and hybrid work — require real-time insights to make informed decisions about portfolio optimization, rightsizing and workplace design, the report says.
Organizations are focusing on dynamic utilization patterns, “tracking not just who is present, but how, when and why spaces are used,” CBRE said. Currently, 87% of organizations now set explicit targets for building utilization rates, with nearly half aiming for between 76% and 85% utilization.
The firm noted that widespread adoption of utilization rate as a key performance indicator underscores its crucial role in aligning real estate strategy with broader business goals, like optimizing cost management and enhancing employee experience.
Despite improvement in getting employees into the office, most organizations aren’t where they want to be, with 70% of respondents saying employees are in the office less than leaders expect. Understanding why employees are holding out is crucial if organizations are to keep improving occupancy.
“Are employees seeking greater flexibility, prioritizing work-life balance or finding the in-office experience lacking?” CBRE said. Without addressing this gap, organizations risk undermining employee morale, hindering collaboration and ultimately failing to realize the full benefits of their hybrid programs, the company said.
