The Strategic Regional Research Alliance (SRRA) is discontinuing its tracking of office occupancy in Toronto, marking the end of an era that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision reflects a growing acceptance that hybrid work is here to stay, with employees increasingly demanding flexibility in where and when they work.
Tracking Ends as Hybrid Work Becomes the Norm
According to Iain Dobson, a co-founder of the SRRA, the group stopped publishing occupancy data because the binary distinction between being in the office or not no longer applies. “We stopped publishing it because it’s just not a binary call anymore. You are not in, and you are not out,” Dobson said. The SRRA, which informally dates back to 2008, plans to release a final report in March 2027 to mark the fifth anniversary of the pandemic’s onset.
The group’s last data, published in February 2026, showed average weekly office occupancy at 86 per cent, with Wednesdays nearing 100 per cent and Fridays at just 58 per cent. This underscores that while occupancy has risen since the pandemic, it has plateaued, with hybrid arrangements becoming entrenched.
Shift in Work Patterns
Before the pandemic, only about five per cent of downtown Toronto employees worked remotely, Dobson noted. “When we started this research for the city of Toronto and the BIAs, they were very concerned at the beginning of the pandemic. Back then, remote work was an all-or-nothing thing.” Today, Statistics Canada data from May 2026 shows that 11.4 per cent of employed Canadians work exclusively from home, down from 12.4 per cent in May 2025 and 18.7 per cent in May 2022.
Despite the decline in exclusive remote work, office towers remain far from full. According to real estate firm Avison Young, the national office vacancy rate stood at 17.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2026. However, with no new office supply delivered in that quarter—compared to 1.3 million square feet a year earlier—landlords may be gaining some traction as supply and demand rebalance.
Employee Demand for Flexibility Persists
The push for flexibility continues to shape the labor market. A Robert Half survey of 1,500 Canadian professionals found that 44 per cent plan to seek a better job in the second half of 2026. The top reasons cited were better benefits and perks (38 per cent) and career enhancement (38 per cent). This indicates that employers offering rigid in-office requirements may struggle to attract and retain talent.
Dobson emphasized that the new reality is less about mandates and more about choice. “The headwind of workers wanting more options and choice in where they do their work, and ultimately choosing to spend less time in office, is hard to ignore.”
