Cushman Wakefield recently put out it’s Global Key Findings Report on Predicting the Return to the Office. Here’s what they had to say, and do you agree?• As of September 2021, approximately 40% of all global office workers have returned to the office. China is leading the return with over 90% back. All other regions of the world examined in this study fall between 27% and 40% of employees in the office on any given day.
• The latest COVID-19 projections indicate that global infections related to the Delta variant will peak in October or November 2021 and then trend lower. This is consistent with the pattern that COVID-19 has displayed throughout the pandemic—new cases often surge for two months before trending back downwards.
• At the current rate, most of the world will achieve herd resiliency—i.e., over 70% either vaccinated or infected— by Q2 2022. Herd resiliency will be achieved first in Canada (Q3 2021), followed by the U.S., Europe and China—all in Q4 2021. The rest of Asia Pacific will vary by country, but as a region overall, it is likely to lag by a quarter or two (Q1 or Q2 2022).
• In our study, if our assumptions hold true, we conclude that most office workers globally will be able to return to the office in the first quarter of 2022. Regionally, the return will be led by Greater China, followed by Europe, then the U.S., Canada and finally the Asia Pacific region. Again, timing will vary within countries.