Almost half of workers are back in Manhattan offices, poll finds

Almost half of Manhattan workers are back in office buildings on an average weekday, up from 38% in April, according to a new report from the Partnership for New York City.

In a survey of 160 companies with Manhattan offices employing more than 200,000 workers, the Partnership for New York City found 49% of workers were in offices on an average weekday, according to Kathryn Wylde, the group’s president and CEO. She said that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the most popular days for workers to be in the office.

“It’s steady progress in reaffirming New York’s role as a global commercial center,” Wylde said. The survey projects that by January of next year, 54% of workers will be in offices on an average weekday.

“Particularly young employees are beginning to understand that working remotely could have a permanent impact on their careers,” she said. “They’re not building relationships, and relationships are what it’s about in terms of getting ahead in business.”

Employers said that a third of workers are negative about returning to the office because they feel they are more productive at home. About a quarter of those surveyed said that their employees do not feel they can depend on public transit because it is either unreliable or unsafe.

Particularly young employees are beginning to understand that working remotely could have a permanent impact on their careers.

Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City

Although Manhattan offices are getting more traffic , 77% of employers surveyed are still using a hybrid work model, with workers splitting time between their homes and their offices. About a third of workers are in the office three days a week, and 15% are coming in two days a week, the study found. Just 9% of workers are in offices full time, according to the Partnership.

There are other signs of New York City’s economic recovery from the pandemic devastation of 2020. In July 2022, the most recent data available, the city’s unemployment level was 6.6%, compared with a pandemic peak of 21% in May 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the current unemployment level is a significant improvement compared to 2020, it is still 56% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and a higher rate than unemployment levels statewide.

A fifth of all offices remain vacant, though rents have begun to rebound, according to a quarterly report from Cushman and Wakefield.

Statewide public transit ridership hit a post-pandemic record high this week, according to the MTA. On Wednesday 3.7 million commuters rode the subways, the highest number since before the pandemic. On an average day before the pandemic, 5.4 million people would ride the subways on an average weekday.