Munich (dpa) – Home offices are reducing the need for office space. According to the Ifo Institute, 6 percent of all companies have already reduced their office space; a further 8 percent are planning to do so in the next five years. In the long term, demand is likely to fall by around 12 percent, says Ifo researcher Simon Krause.

The home office quota in Germany has been at a quarter of employees since 2022. “Despite calls from individual companies to return to the office, regular home office work has become established. Companies are therefore gradually adjusting their office space requirements,” says Krause. “This trend is particularly strong among service providers and large companies that use the majority of office space.” Since rental contracts often run for a long time, the trend is delayed.