This week, rising U.S. office vacancy rates were the focus of several media reports as a result of the ongoing, negative impact of hybrid work arrangements. 

• On Dec. 20, CNBC’s Squawkbox reported that 100 million square feet of office space is now available in Manhattan.
  
  
• On Dec. 18, The Real Deal reported on The Roundtable’s recent letter to President Joe Biden about the harmful economic and social consequences of widespread remote work on cities, local tax bases, and small businesses.
  
  
• The article included a quote from Real Estate Roundtable Chairman and SUFFOLK CEO John Fish and The Roundtable’s President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer, who stated in their letter, “We are concerned that certain administration policy guidance is encouraging federal agencies to adopt permanent work-from-home policies for federal employees and thereby actually magnifying negative economic and social consequences for cities.” (Roundtable Weekly, Dec. 16)
  
  
• On Dec. 17, the New York Times reported on office vacancy rates in San Francisco. “Office buildings are at about 40 percent of their prepandemic occupancy, while the vacancy rate has jumped to 24 percent from 5 percent since 2019,” according to the article, “What Comes Next for San Francisco’s Emptied Downtown.”

Commercial real estate trends and potential policy responses will be discussed during The Roundtable’s Jan. 24-25 State of the Industry Meeting in Washington, DC.

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