Office employment growth most substantial in Asian Cities

Major cities in the emerging global south are becoming more specialised in office-using sectors, which currently account for more than 30% of total city GDP across the world, generating more than $15 trillion in 2024, and employing over 165 million jobs.

What you will learn:

• As a result of increased activity, employment in office sectors will also increase substantially. More than half of the additional 79 million office-jobs expected across cities over the period to 2050 will be in China and India.
• The distribution of office employment gains will differ across cities. Shenzhen’s office employment growth will be led by the information & communication sector. Conversely, Delhi’s growth is led by professional and administrative support activities.
• AI may pose a significant challenge to office-based jobs, with automated systems and processes changing business activities in a similar way to how increased automation changed the face of the manufacturing industry. However, it remains to be seen whether AI will be a displacer of jobs, or whether it may simply change the way we work.