Asia-Pacific companies expect artificial intelligence to create new roles and change how teams work, but many have not aligned those expected shifts with lease and office plans, Colliers found in a survey.
The report drew on 313 corporate office occupiers surveyed in August 2026 across 11 Asia-Pacific markets. Colliers collected responses digitally and through one-on-one client interactions. Every respondent expected AI to bring specialized roles with new skill and collaboration needs; 62% anticipated more work spanning departments or organized around temporary projects.
Respondents saw productivity and output as the areas most likely to feel AI’s effects, with 100% citing them. Skills and job roles followed at 73%, then workforce structures at 61%, Colliers said.
The survey found a gap between those workforce expectations and real estate planning. Colliers said 57% had not aligned anticipated AI-related workforce changes with upcoming lease expirations and future office requirements. Only 7% said their workforce outlook and property plans were fully coordinated.
Views on space needs varied. Forty-seven percent expected AI to increase demand for a wider range of workplace formats, while 36% anticipated needing less space. The survey records occupiers’ expectations; it does not measure job creation, layoffs or changes in office use after AI adoption.
Cost and workplace performance also featured in respondents’ decisions. Seventy-five percent named occupancy costs as a major consideration. Colliers said 82% operated office-centric models; 55% identified productivity and business performance as the office’s main purpose, followed by collaboration and innovation at 52%. The report also identified operating cost efficiency and access to talent as factors shaping location choices.
Asked about plans for the coming 12 months, 40% expected to renew leases and 29% to maintain their current footprint. Another 17% planned to reconfigure offices, while 13% expected to consolidate space.
Mike Davis, Colliers’ managing director of occupier services for Asia Pacific, said AI’s first major effects would be on “the workforce, skills and the way work gets done ...”
