Good for business, bad for commuters.

 

The NSW government has ordered the state’s public servants to return to the office, a move that has been welcomed by the business community but criticised by work-from-home supporters.

 

Many public servants were left confused and angry, after NSW Premier Chris Minns surprisingly announced that ‘working-from-home’ for the majority of workers was coming to an end this month. 

 

Premier’s Department secretary Simon Draper said NSW public servants – more than 400,000 workers – were expected to fully use office accommodation “across the whole working week”, signalling that office space that is being paid for by the state government needed to be better utilised.

 

The public service union said the move could lead to people looking for jobs elsewhere but the property council said it will help revive commercial centres.

 

Almost four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of workers still spend some time working from home. That has led to a quieter Sydney CBD, where the office vacancy rate sits at 11.6 per cent – a level not experienced in almost 30 years, according to the latest Property Council of Australia’s office market report.