Title: CHANGING WORK PATTERNS AND OFFICE PROPERTY PERFORMANCE IN UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

Authors: Akpan, Kufre, Offiong, Jima and Umah, Martina

Abstract: This article examines changing work patterns and office property performance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, by integrating peer-reviewed research with a secondary quantitative assessment of the Uyo market. A retrospective evidence register combines the 2010–2020 standardized office valuation series published by Ekpo and Udoh (2021), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2024) 2023 labour-force profile, and 22 dated property advertisement records observed in 2024–2026. Office rents increased from ₦400,000 to ₦600,000 per 38.88 m² over 2010–2020 (50.0%; compound annual growth 4.14%), whereas corresponding capital values increased from ₦8.00 million to ₦23.14 million (189.3%). Official statistics identified 431,275 employees among 2,142,818 employed residents in 2023, without measuring hybrid-work adoption. Contrasting European and American evidence demonstrates that office outcomes depend on workplace intensity, market adjustment and building quality rather than remote-work labels alone. The analysis establishes historical nominal appreciation but does not identify the causal or statistical effect of work-pattern change on local office rents. This therefore establishes an auditable local baseline.

Keywords: Changing work patterns, commercial real estate, office occupancy, office property performance and rental value.

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