Aust CBD office vacancies rise

AAP

The number of empty offices in Australia is rising as the white collar sector fails to fill them.

Vacancies rose from 8.4 per cent in January to 10.1 per cent in July, according to a Property Council report.

Property Council chief executive Peter Verwer said the decline in white collar jobs growth to a third of pre-GFC levels had severely blunted demand.

He said the dwindling demand for office space reflects Australia's lacklustre economic fundamentals and a lack of "mojo" in the business sector.

While all CBD markets experienced negative demand, Brisbane recorded the biggest hike, with unused office rates up from 9.3 per cent to 12.8 per cent.