Data on lifts usage suggests rising office attendance in London (but not elsewhere)

Office workers in London are returning to workplaces in increasing numbers, according to data suggesting that remote working may be receding more quickly in the capital than in many other European cities. Analysis by lift manufacturer KONE examined more than a billion elevator journeys across ten cities in seven countries and found a notable rise in lift usage in London office buildings during 2025. Activity increased by around 11 percent in January compared with the same month a year earlier, with the upward trend continuing through the year. Lift usage in large commercial buildings is often seen as a proxy for workplace occupancy and broader office attendance patterns.

The figures contrast with patterns in several other European cities including Frankfurt, Rotterdam, Barcelona and Berlin, where lift usage either stagnated or declined over the same period. This suggests that remote and hybrid working practices remain more firmly embedded in those locations than in London.

Property market activity appears to support the trend. According to Knight Frank, most major office transactions in central London during the past year involved organisations increasing the size of their workspace rather than reducing it. Demand for prime offices has also pushed rents higher, rising by nearly 8 percent in the City of London and more than 15 percent in the West End.

Vacancy rates in parts of the capital have fallen to below 1 percent, raising concerns among some analysts about a potential shortage of high quality office space in the coming years. Some organisations have also reversed earlier decisions to shrink their footprints, with banks including HSBC reportedly reclaiming space they had previously given up.

The figures add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that predictions made during the pandemic about a permanent shift to large scale home working may not fully materialise, particularly in London’s office market. Hybrid working arrangements remain common, however, with many employees continuing to divide their time between home and the office.

Separate research suggests that average office occupancy across the UK has been rising gradually and has recently reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic, although attendance still tends to peak on certain days of the week rather than being evenly distributed.

Image: The Sony Centre in Berlin