New York City’s office occupancy rate rose by more than 10 percentage points last month, marking the highest point it has reached since the pandemic began, according to a new report.

The five boroughs’ average weekday office occupancy jumped to 46.1% between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21, up from 34.5% between Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, a report released by Comptroller Brad Lander’s office this week said, citing data compiled by property management company Kastle Systems. 

Some five borough-based companies rolled back employees’ hybrid work schedules post-Labor Day, and the reopening of schools allowed other workers to return to their offices, the report found. 

But while the jump pushed the city’s occupancy rate above those of Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose last month, it did not returned to where it stood pre-pandemic, according to the report. 

The city’s occupancy rate still lagged behind rates in Houston, Dallas and Austin, the report noted. 

“While many pandemic era trends have been reversed, increased rates of telecommuting persist: Google mobility data continues to show people spending more time at home, office occupancy remains well below pre-pandemic levels, office space available for rent in New York City remains elevated, and office rents have fallen,” the report said. 

The city's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also saw an uptick in August, increasing to 6.6% from 6% in July, the report said, citing data from the state's Department of Labor. That increase was fueled by a jump in the number of New Yorkers looking for work in a "strong labor market," according to the report.

Overall employment in the city, however, "reached 97% of its pre-pandemic peak, led by job growth in health care and information technology," Lander said in a statement.

At an unrelated news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams called enticing workers back to offices and attracting young people to entry-level jobs based in the city “a national issue.”

“Getting people back to work has been a challenge, and we’re going to continue to do that,” he said. “Young people are looking for something different in their working environment. They’re looking for a good work-life balance. And I think there’s an adjustment period.” 

“But New York is a place where people are going to continue to flock to,” he added. “We are extremely comfortable that this economy is going to continue to recover.” 

In his statement, Lander noted that “strong economic growth has brought us a long way since the dark days early in the pandemic, when many worried about whether businesses would reopen and residents would return.” 

“Many indicators of economic and cultural life show the resilience of New York City,” he wrote.