6 reasons office-based work is still popular in Hong Kong
CBRE called for HK firms to use their offices in demonstrating their ESG commitment
Hong Kong has higher rates of office attendance than other global gateway cities, CBRE reported. In its recent report titled, CBRE highlighted six factors driving office-based work in Hong Kong.
First is Hong Kong's high living density. Hong Kong's median per capita living area is 170 square feet -- significantly lower than the 330 to 530 square feet in other advanced Asian cities, such as Seoul and Singapore. A 2022 CBRE survey found that 44% of Hong Kongers do not have a dedicated work area at home. 20% said that their technology and workplaces at home were not set up to support flexible work.
The second reason is the shorter commutes to the office, thanks to Hong Kong's highly developed and efficient public transportation system.
About 48% of Hong Kong's 3.77 million working population have access to Mass Transit Railway stations within a 10-minute walking distance from their home.
Also read: Most Hong Kong workers say ESG useful in their careers: survey
95% of the city's Grade A office buildings are within a 10-minute walk from an MTR station exit, CBRE said.
The four other factors include Asian cultural norms, technology and workplace not supportive of remote work, physical interaction with colleagues, and productivity.
Since Hong Kongers still prefer to work onsite, CBRE said that 90% of Hong Kong's total electricity consumption comes from buildings and less than 60% of Hong Kong's carbon emissions are from building electricity generation.
Because of this, CBRE called for companies to have their offices serve as a platform to demonstrate their commitment to ESG.
