SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Post-pandemic, global business hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong and London that operated in a high density environment of less than 10 sqm per person will likely face pressures to de-densify, highlights JLL in a latest report. (See also: Central region office rents and prices fall 8.5% and 10.7% respectively in 2020)

The same pressure is likely also to apply to business process outsourcing destinations like Manila and Bengaluru, where business imperatives and intense usage of space have driven densities to as low as 7 sqm per person, as well as emerging hubs like Jakarta and Mumbai, which provide business services for large and growing national markets with densities from 9 to 11 sqm per person.

“Occupiers in Singapore should give due consideration to office de-densification when designing their workplaces, given that two-fifth of Singapore’s employees surveyed by JLL are expecting a less dense work environment in the future,” comments Tay Huey Ying, head of research & consultancy, JLL Singapore.

As cities recover from the pandemic, offices are expected to return to the CBD with more efficient and productive work spaces that reflect a high standard of health and wellness, it added.

“Metrics that measure human experience are becoming increasingly important to businesses and cities,” says Jeremy Kelly, lead director, global cities research, JLL.

“As we move into the next cycle of recovery, we expect offices in Central Business Districts will again become social and business hubs, adapting to accommodate the way people want to work and live in the future.”