The number of empty office buildings in the Birmingham metro area has seen a steady increase starting in 2019 and how now reached a record high for the decade. This increase was spurred by a combination of businesses transitioning to remote work both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and recession induced downsizing according to local urban analyst Christopher Burks and a market study from global real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

In mid-2019 the percentage of vacant office buildings in the Birmingham area sat around 16% and has since risen to roughly 20% as of the first quarter of this year, the study says.

This follows a national trend demonstrated in a recent study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. According to the study, national office vacancy rates have climbed from roughly 9% to 13.1% between 2019 and 2023.

So how will Birmingham and other nearby cities fill these empty office buildings as remote work increases in popularity?

Bring in more jobs that require an in-person workspace, says the Birmingham Business Alliance.