Thursday, 8 October 2026
Nordic companies are becoming more selective about the offices they occupy as hybrid working develops into a more established pattern. Rather than signalling a broad retreat from offices, the latest evidence points towards companies concentrating demand on well-connected buildings that can support collaboration while using their overall portfolios more efficiently.
The findings come from CBRE’s 2026 Nordic Office Occupier Sentiment Survey, which collected responses from 54 corporate real estate decision-makers. Large organisations account for a substantial proportion of the sample, with 54% of respondents representing companies employing more than 10,000 people, meaning the results primarily provide insight into the strategies of major occupiers rather than the entire Nordic business population.
One of the clearest changes is that companies are becoming more confident about how frequently employees will use their offices. Some 66% of respondents now regard existing attendance patterns as relatively settled, compared with 47% in 2025. This gives occupiers a more reliable basis for deciding how much space they require rather than retaining additional capacity in anticipation of a larger return to office working.
Employers nevertheless continue to seek more attendance than they are achieving. Some 76% want employees in the office at least three days a week, up from 67% last year, while only 51% report reaching that level. The strongest reasons for attending are interaction with colleagues, identified by 89% of respondents, followed by having an effective working environment at 81% and interaction with company leadership at 79%.
The gap between average and peak occupancy remains substantial. Nordic offices record average weekly utilisation of 47%, increasing to 72% on their busiest days. The comparable European figures are 48% and 73%. This leaves companies balancing two competing requirements: reducing space that remains underused for much of the week while retaining enough capacity for the days when considerably more employees arrive at the same time.
Location is becoming particularly important in that calculation. Some 58% of Nordic respondents prefer offices immediately outside the prime CBD, while 29% favour core central locations and only 13% prefer peripheral areas. The results suggest that companies facing cost pressure are more inclined to adjust the amount of space they occupy within central markets than move to cheaper but less accessible locations.
Expectations for the buildings themselves are also increasing. Some 82% of respondents say the absence of a facility they consider important could cause them to reject or leave a property, up from 77% in 2025. At the same time, 71% would seek a financial concession when a desired feature was unavailable, while only 51% would accept higher rent in return for having it. The figures indicate that features previously capable of differentiating an office building are increasingly being treated as part of the expected standard.
The challenge for property owners is that corporate demand for better workplaces is not being matched by equally strong occupier investment. Only 27% of respondents expect to commit significant capital to repositioning or transforming their space during the next three years. Companies are also more willing to dispose of non-headquarters locations than their main offices, increasing the exposure of secondary properties to portfolio consolidation.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence these decisions, although the survey does not support the assumption that AI will simply lead companies to occupy substantially less space. Around 49% anticipate a greater requirement for specialised areas, 44% expect more adaptable multi-purpose layouts and 41% expect greater use of flexible accommodation. Only 10% specifically expect AI to result in a smaller overall office requirement.
AI businesses are also emerging as a source of leasing demand themselves. CBRE Research estimates that companies operating in the sector represented around 3% of European office take-up by the second quarter of 2026. Although still a relatively small part of the market, the report identifies examples in Nordic cities of growing technology businesses moving from flexible accommodation into conventional offices as their organisations expand.
Meanwhile, dedicated flexible office space is accounting for a smaller proportion of corporate portfolios than occupiers previously anticipated. Its share among Nordic respondents declined from 21% in 2025 to 17% in 2026, while the proportion expected within two years fell from 30% to 26%. Companies appear to be obtaining some of the flexibility they require through conventional leases, including options to reduce, sublet or modify their space.
The overall picture is therefore less about companies abandoning offices than about a redistribution of demand. Large Nordic occupiers increasingly understand how their workplaces are being used and are adjusting portfolios accordingly. Central locations, efficient floorplates, appropriate facilities and buildings capable of accommodating technological and environmental requirements are positioned to capture a greater share of that demand, while secondary assets face increasing pressure to justify their place in corporate portfolios.
