T
he pandemic-driven work-from-home trend appears to be losing steam in New York City and other major metropolitan areas across the US. According to office building data from market monitor Placer.ai, office visitations in New York City reached 86.2% of pre-pandemic levels in October, surpassing all other cities. Miami came in second at 82.6%, while struggling San Francisco trailed behind with just 51.7%.

    Daniel Biederman, co-founder of Bryant Park Corporation, observed that Midtown Manhattan is nearly back to its pre-pandemic attendance levels, with office workers making up the majority of lunchtime visitors. He declared, "Work from home is dying against all predictions."

    Several major employers have been cracking down on remote work, requiring employees to return to the office full-time. Amazon, Dell, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, and UPS are among those that have implemented stricter policies.

    The shift back to in-office work has drawn praise from real estate industry leaders, who attribute it to a combination of factors including employer pressure and human nature's desire for social interaction. CBRE tristate CEO Mary Ann Tighe quipped, "What a shocker! People who live in New York want to go to the office and interact with colleagues."

    Prime office buildings in Manhattan are now nearly fully occupied, with major tech firms like Bloomberg LP and Amazon expanding their presence in the city. The trend of employers pushing for employees to work in the office four or five days a week is driving an uptick in Class-A leasing, particularly in the financial services sector.