Office Occupiers Plan for 2027: 5 Takeaways From Newmark’s Survey

Most U.S. office occupiers expect to expand over the next two years, as few are ready to suggest how artificial intelligence will change their headcount or space needs, according to early findings from Newmark’s recently released U.S. Office Occupier Benchmark Survey.

Newmark said that early responses, along with its market data and third-party sources, have identified five factors that will impact occupier decisions heading into 2027.

One caveat: the results are preliminary, and the survey is ongoing.

#1—Most Occupiers Aim Toward Growth

The survey said that 60% of occupiers expect headcount at their locations to increase over the next two years, driven by organic business growth. At the other end of the spectrum, just 5% anticipate a reduced headcount.

Newmark’s tenants-in-the-market data show the same trend, with 78% of active requirements expecting to expand or keep their current footprint, compared with 15% expecting to contract.

Job openings have picked up recently in office-using sectors, but hiring and separations have stayed fairly low since 2024. Newmark said that gains in professional and business services have offset recent losses in information and financial activities.

Artificial intelligence remains the wild card, with 80% of participants telling Newmark that they aren’t sure how the technology will impact headcounts or footprints over the next few years. As a result, most occupiers are not basing long-term space decisions on AI speculation.

#2—Footprints are Still Mixed

Recent leases among the Newmark-tracked occupiers are split among expansions, contractions and same-size renewals, with differences based on industry and office type:

• Tech occupiers have moved toward expansion, with their share of large-block leasing at its highest level since 2022.
• Finance, insurance and real estate firms are reducing space, often giving up square footage for better buildings and more efficient floorplates.
• Headquarters have been more likely to increase in size versus their regional offices, which are shrinking; Newmark said that this could be a sign that companies are consolidating around core spaces.

With approximately 42% of pre-pandemic leases not yet expired, many occupiers are still waiting for the chance to right-size for hybrid work, according to Newmark.

#3—Structured Hybrid Is the Standard

Speaking of off-site work, more than 80% of respondents have a hybrid workplace model. Three-quarters of companies are enforcing attendance, either company-wide or for specific roles and teams.

Sixty-seven percent of hybrid respondents were more likely to say their workplace policy helps them attract and retain talent, compared to 30% among fully office-based respondents.

#4—Today’s Attendance Could Be the New Normal

Nearly 75% of occupiers said their attendance reached a steady state, while approximately 15% want to see stronger attendance. On average, employees came to the office 3.2 days per week, with structured hybrid schedules producing more in-office days than policies that leave it to employee choice.

Citing Kastle data, Newmark said the weekly average occupancy rate hit a post-pandemic high of 59.2% in December 2025 and has barely moved since. Placer.ai data showed the same thing.

#5—AI for Real Estate Decisions Is in Early Stages

Few occupiers have been using AI to run their own real estate. The survey found that approximately 40% of corporate real estate teams are still planning or experimenting with the technology, while fewer than 15% have begun scaling.

Early adopters said they’ve started with lease abstraction and management, along with occupancy and utilization analytics, which use lease and badge data that most real estate teams already collect.

Photo: DC Studio/Shutterstock