Around two-thirds of occupiers rank employee engagement (68%) and talent attraction & development (65%) as being two of the three most important drivers of corporate real estate (CRE) strategy, even ahead of cost-reduction. This is according to the 2019 EMEA Occupier Survey published today by global real estate advisor CBRE.
The report demonstrates that people are becoming more important than ever as drivers of real estate decisions. In last year’s survey cost-reduction was the single most important driver of CRE strategy and employee engagement was fourth but this year, cost reduction has dropped to fourth, employee engagement is second and talent attraction & development is third. In this context, optimising human capital is becoming the overriding aim of occupiers’ property decisions.
Over a third of companies see labour and skills shortages as a key strategic challenge, double last year’s result. In line with last year’s survey, technology disruption (36%) economic uncertainty (43%) and cost escalation (31%) all feature highly as key challenges for occupiers.
The survey identifies four major levers through which companies are seeking to use real estate as a way of influencing and enhancing their appeal to skilled labour, these include:
Procurement and fit-out strategy
User Experience strategy
Flexible space strategy
Technology strategy
CBRE Belgium is part of the CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with 2018 revenues of $21.3 billion and more than 90,000 employees (excluding affiliate offices). CBRE has been included in the Fortune 500 since 2008, ranking #207 in 2018. It also has been voted the industry’s top brand by the Lipsey Company for 17 consecutive years, and has been named one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” in the real estate sector for six years in a row. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CBRE.”
CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services.
In Belgium, more than 500 employees, operating from our offices in Brussels, Antwerp and Diegem, have been advising our clients on commercial real estate for more than 50 years.
