Singapore among APAC companies that prefer hybrid work while China and India push for 5-days office work

SINGAPORE: A recent survey conducted by JLL) has found that Singapore is at the forefront of a growing preference for hybrid work models in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Alongside South Korea and Australia, Singapore is one of the leaders in the region where 51% of organisations now favour a hybrid workstyle, combining remote and in-office work.

JLL’s Future of Work survey, which provides insights into workplace trends across APAC, also showed that the remaining 49% of companies, primarily in China and India, are more traditional in their approach. These “office advocates” prefer a full-time office setup, with staff expected to work from the office five days a week.

Despite the shift toward hybrid models, office presence remains significant. Currently, 85% of APAC organisations have adopted policies requiring employees to be in the office at least three days per week. Moreover, 40% of respondents believe that the number of in-office days will rise by 2030, signaling a potential shift back toward more office-based work in the future.

The survey also highlighted a notable trend in investment strategies. Seven in ten corporate real estate (CRE) leaders in the region expect their budgets to grow between now and 2030, despite the challenges posed by the commercial real estate market. Companies are increasingly looking to technology to reshape their workspaces, with over 70% of CRE activities projected to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) support by 2030.

AI is becoming a major focus for many organisations, with 90% of APAC companies planning to boost their AI investments in the near future. Half of these companies are expected to implement AI-enabled workspaces by the end of the decade.

Globally, business leaders are prioritizing revenue growth through mergers and acquisitions (57%), attracting and retaining talent (53%), and increasing organisational efficiency (54%) as top corporate goals for the next five years.

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