Young Londoners spend more time in office than older workers, survey finds

Young workers in London spend more of their time working from the office than any other age group, an international survey of return to work habits has found.

London saw another year-on-year rise in attendance, with average central London full-time workers spending more than half the working week, or 2.7 days, in the office in June 2024.

This was an increase from 2.2 days in April 2023, according to the survey by Centre for Cities, with Savanta and Focaldata, which surveyed firms and staff in six global cities.

The new report, ‘Return to the office: How London compares to other global cities, and why this matters’ also found global comparators Paris, Singapore, New York and Sydney had workers in office for an average of 3.5, 3.2, 3.1 and 2.8 days respectively.

And in London, the youngest workers, aged 18-24, spend the most time working in the office on average each week, bucking the trend observed in the other cities surveyed.

They were also the most likely out of all age groups to say they work best in the office, at 43 per cent, researchers at the independent think tank were told.

Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities chief executive, said: “There’s no substitute for the benefits gained thanks to face-to-face interaction, particularly for younger workers. 

“Having access to the wide variety of activities and experiences that offices in city centres offer is crucial for them, and the businesses they work for, to be successful.”

And he added: “London has huge assets – world-class public transport, deep labour markets and lots of cutting-edge firms.

“Encouraging more people back to the office, to be in line with other global cities, will enable the capital to continue to play important national and international roles in the future.”

London companies also mandate fewer days in the office – 3.1 on average – than firms in Sydney, Singapore, New York, Toronto and Paris, on four, 3.6, 3.4, 3.3 and 3.2 respectively.

Just seven per cent of London’s office workers were not mandated to be in the office at all in June 2024, down from a quarter in April 2023, the survey found. 

Furthermore, 95 per cent of workers, across all cities, cited benefits to face time with colleagues, and just nine per cent said they would look for another job if their office mandate were increased.

Chris Hayward, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, called the report “insightful” and said: “We are ready to support local businesses and central government bring workers back to the office. 

“Attracting new businesses and people to a dynamic and thriving City is vital for the Square Mile’s future and we are excited to work with partners across London to do so.”