The return to the office movement following the COVID-19 pandemic has been embraced by employees as the need for collaboration and the sense of community in the workplace have led many to want to give up remote work, at least partially. While hybrid work allows people to make the best of both dynamics, in-office work is necessary for the well-being of both the employees and the company they work for.
As such, it’s no surprise that more and more people are choosing to work from the office at least some of the time. Especially for those working in the information, financial and professional and business services sectors, offices play a very important role as they are must susceptible to hybrid work. To get an idea of how sought-out office jobs are and how this job-to-job flow is seen across the U.S., we looked at the job mobility-related factors to determine the best metros for office jobs.
Determining the best metros for office jobs involved looking at more than just the number of office workers and the employee growth rate. Considering the number of employees that switched jobs within the office sector, the number of companies offering office jobs, median earnings from such jobs and the regional price parity were all equally important in establishing what makes a metro ideal for people seeing office jobs.
Best Metros for In-Office Jobs are in the South
Out of the top 10 best metros for office jobs, seven are from the South while the other three are all from the West. Southern metro Raleigh-Cary, NC came in first place as the best metro for employees looking for in-office jobs. With office workers representing 30% of the entire working population and an unemployment rate of 3.1%, working in-office in the Raleigh metro area is a great option for those looking for such jobs. Office job mobility rated is the highest among all the metros we looked at, 9.7%, indicating that people are choosing to change their jobs for ones in the office sector. And given the density of office firms in Raleigh (37%), finding such a job can be relatively easy. The median income of approximately $80,000 is also ideal given the regional price parity of 97.58, which refers to the cost of living and includes rent, utilities and any other consumption goods and is about 2.4% lower than the national level of 100.
Austin, TX comes in second place, which is not surprising given its popularity as a hotspot for new businesses and companies looking to expand their operations. With office workers representing 32% of all workers in the area and an employee growth rate of 34.2%, Austin is an ideal metro for those looking to make the change to the office sector. With an office mobility rate of 8.4% and an office firm density of 40%, employees can expect to find plenty of job opportunities. Furthermore, with a median income of about $82,000 and a regional price parity level of 100.04, living here can be more than affordable and comfortable for those choosing office jobs in Austin.
Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA fall in fourth and fifth places, respectively, with 28% and 30% of all employees being office workers. The office job mobility rates are fairly high for both, with 9.3% in Charlotte and 8.4% in Atlanta. With a median income of about $68,000 in both metros and a regional price parity of 96.60 in Charlotte and 99.12 in Atlanta, living here and working from an office is affordable and worth taking into consideration for those looking for office jobs.
Office Mobility Rates Lowest in Western Metros
In third place, is San Jose, CA, the first Western metro in the list. Despite having the highest rate of office workers, 34%, it has one of the lowest employee growth rates, 5.9%. The office mobility rate is also low compared to the metros. In fact, it is the lowest of all metros in the list, as only 5.5% percent of people changed their jobs to or within the office sector. However, with an office firm density of 38%, this indicates that there are plenty of opportunities for office jobs. Furthermore, the median income of approx. $142,000 is more than sufficient to cover the cost of living associated with the regional price parity of 111.64 in San Jose, which is only 11.64% more than the national level.
The other two Western metros that made the top 10 list include San Francisco, CA in 9th place and Denver, CO in 10th place. Like San Jose, while both have an office worker population representing more than 30% of all workers, employee growth since the beginning of the year was rather low compared to the other metros. In San Francisco, the employee growth rate was only 6.1% while in Denver it was 8.2%. Office job mobility rates were also lower than in the Southern metros that dominate the top 10 list, with 6.2% in San Francisco and 7.3% in Denver. With an office firm density similar to the other metros, the main reason for which these two metros fall in the last two places is the high regional price parity levels, 119.83 in San Francisco and 109.16 in Denver. While they are in close range of the level in San Jose, in these two metros, the median income is much lower, with employees receiving about $120,000 in San Francisco and about $82,000 in Denver.
Coastal Metros Fall Behind for In-Office Jobs
Riverside, CA falls in last place as the worst metro for in-office jobs. Despite having an office employment growth rate of 12.9%, it has the lowest office firm density, 26.2%. Also, given the high price parity level of 105.5, the median office earning of $47,131 falls short when compared to the high cost of living. New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA are also on the list of worst metros for office jobs. New York falls in fourth place for the worst metros with an office employment growth rate of only 3% and one of the lowest office job mobility rates, only 5.6%. Also, office median earnings fall at $86,149 while the regional price parity surpasses the national level of 100 by 14.6. percentage points. In Los Angeles, the 8th worst metro for in-office jobs, the office employment rate grew only by 2.8% while the unemployment rate reached 4.6%, the second highest among all metros. Furthermore, the high cost of living indicated by the regional price parity level of 113.8 is not supported by the median office earning, which does not reach $70,000 per year ($67,510).
For those looking for jobs in the professional and business services sector, working from an office is ideal for the well-being of the company and the productivity of employees. Fortunately, the metros listed above not only have a dominant sector of the above-mentioned, but they also offer a moderate cost of living that allows those commuting to the office to not feel a financial strain in doing so. While being able to work remotely is definitely important, having the professional setting of an office can elevate employees’ working experience and may even be considered essential.
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