Built for Intelligence

The adoption of AI is no longer a distant reality; it is already starting to reshape the corporate landscape.

AI is beginning to impact the Asia Pacific labour market. However, fears of widespread, large-scale unemployment have yet to materialise, with adoption thus far characterised by task transformation and shifting occupational composition.

The integration of AI into white-collar workplaces inevitably raises questions over the future of commercial office demand. 

Our latest report, Built for Intelligence: How AI is Redefining the Asia Pacific Office, analyses how AI will reshape the office-based employment market in the region and identifies the implications for office demand and supply.

Key Takeaways:

• AI should be viewed primarily as a productivity-enhancing technology rather than a direct substitute for labour.
• Jobs have varied AI vulnerability, and less than 2% of total Asia Pacific employment is vulnerable to AI; but workforces are adaptive and the pace of displacement depends on multiple factors.
• History shows job growth expands in tandem with tech advancement; structural upgrades to tertiary industry will continue to support office job growth.
• While AI is projected to trim office demand growth by five percentage points under our ‘Moderate Displacement’ scenario, occupied office space is still forecast to increase by 13% from 2026-2030, compared with 18% under the Base-case scenario. 
• AI adoption will stimulate the polarisation of the office market, concentrating demand on top quality buildings in core districts that support high-value collaborative and knowledge-intensive work.

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