Office Administrative Services NAICS 561110

May 12, 2025 - Small Cities Court Telecommuters with Cash, Incentives

• With 20% of Americans working remotely, the ability to work from anywhere no longer ties workers to specific geographic regions with high costs of living, and some smaller cities are now offering cash and other incentives to remote workers who move there. Smaller cities with declining populations have little clout to attract new employers to their areas and are instead courting telecommuters to spur economic growth. According to a report from relocation company MakeMyMove, cities such as New Albany, Indiana; Texarkana, Texas; Mayfield, Kentucky; and Jacksonville, Illinois; are floating perks like $5,000 relocation bonuses, free co-working spaces, rotary club memberships, start up grants, and even meetings with the mayor. It’s a trend that could become more widespread as the one-fifth of the population who works remotely (per the Bureau of Labor Statistics) continues to grow.
• Office leasing continues to struggle post-pandemic and employee attendance rates have stabilized to about 30% of pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis by leasing accounting firm FinQuery. Other findings include that on average employees now work 3.5 days a week in the office and 67% of all US companies have remote work options. Companies are also switching out large, expensive office leases (down 9.7% CAGR) for smaller working spaces with more flexible leases (up 6.1% CAGR). Landlords and commercial real estate brokers are also shortening the length of leases to attract new tenants. Short-term leases have grown by 33% each year on average since 2019, while lease duration in the same time period has dropped from six to eight years to three to four years, per FinQuery’s report.

• More CPA decision makers are considering the use of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools, according to the fourth-quarter AICPA & CIMA Economic Outlook Survey. In Q4 2024, 56% of CPA leaders surveyed said they have considered the use of Gen AI tools compared to 38% who were considering it in Q4 2023. Between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, the share of CPA decision makers who said their organizations have begun to experiment with Gen AI tools for business purposes rose from 23% to 30%. The share of CPA decision makers whose firms have implemented Gen AI tools for one or more business functions increased from 4% in Q4 2023 to 6% in Q4 2024.
• While most employers are implementing return-to-office requirements, they realize the need to balance in-office work with the value that employees place on working from home, according to a recent survey by advisory firm WTW. About 61% of US companies surveyed said they had implemented a formal policy requiring employees to be in the office for a minimum number of days per week. The most cited reasons for in-office requirements included better engagement within teams (84% of respondents), reinforcing corporate culture (71%), and increasing productivity through better collaboration (64%). However, firms recognize that many workers value remote work. When asked about the leading benefit of remote work, 84% of those surveyed said attracting and retaining talent for roles that would go unfilled without remote work options, 78% said better work-life balance improved engagement, and 76% said remote work improved retention.