The conversation around artificial intelligence and jobs often swings between utopian productivity and dystopian displacement. A recent Colliers report cuts through the noise with data from 313 corporate occupiers across the Asia-Pacific region.
Universal Impact, Evolving Roles
The key
takeaway from the Colliers report, titled 'Asia Pacific Workplace Insights: Forces shaping office decisions in 2027', is that the AI revolution is not a future concept—it is a present reality shaping workforce decisions. An overwhelming 100% of the surveyed employers expect AI to create new, specialised roles that demand entirely new skills and capabilities. This signals a fundamental shift away from the simple fear of job replacement towards an understanding that job functions will evolve. Rather than a wave of mass layoffs, employers foresee a period of significant transformation, with 85% anticipating that AI will lead to increased productivity, even if it results in fewer traditional roles. The focus is less on reduction and more on reinvention.
Productivity Over Footprint Reduction
A surprising finding challenges the common assumption that AI adoption will lead to a mass contraction of office space. While 85% of employers expect fewer roles and more productivity, the primary goal isn't just to shrink real estate portfolios. In fact, nearly half of the respondents (47%) believe AI will actually drive demand for different kinds of workplaces. The report highlights a pivot towards creating smarter, more purposeful office environments designed for high-value collaboration and innovation—tasks that AI can augment but not fully replace. In India and Southeast Asia, this is particularly pronounced; footprint reduction was a low-priority outcome (7%), whereas creating new space types to support AI-driven work was a high priority for 50% of companies.
The India and Southeast Asia Growth Story
The report identifies India and Southeast Asia as a major growth-oriented cluster. For occupiers in this region, AI is viewed primarily through a human capital lens. More than 40% of these businesses rank the creation of new AI-driven roles, skills, and collaboration models as a top priority. India, with its vast pool of skilled talent, is making significant strides in AI and automation. This is driving corporations to continue investing in high-quality workplaces that can attract and retain top performers, solidifying the office's role as a critical hub for knowledge exchange and business performance.
The Disconnect: Strategy vs. Action
Despite a universal agreement on AI's transformative impact, the report uncovers a critical disconnect. A majority of organisations (57%) have not yet translated their expectations of AI-driven workforce changes into their real estate and leasing strategies. This reveals a significant blind spot: companies know the nature of work is changing, but their physical environments and lease commitments are not being adapted to support that future. The report warns that the biggest risk for businesses is not AI itself, but the failure to plan for its integration into workplace strategy. With productivity and innovation being the top mandates for the office, organisations that fail to align their space with new, AI-enabled workflows may fall behind.
The Urgent Need for New Skills
The transformation of jobs naturally leads to a demand for new competencies. As companies reorganise around AI, they will increasingly need professionals in software engineering, data science, AI governance, and cybersecurity. However, this demand is creating a talent crunch. A separate Colliers report focusing on Europe found that 75% of employers struggle to fill AI-related roles, highlighting a growing mismatch between skill availability and business needs. This underscores the urgency for both employees and employers to invest in upskilling. Other industry reports confirm this trend, with skills in AI and machine learning commanding salary premiums of 30–40% in India, pushing companies toward skills–based pay frameworks.
