What happened
Empty offices in SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District), Jakarta's main business quarter, are steadily filling up. According to consultancy Colliers Indonesia, occupancy there has reached 87%. The figure was presented at a Colliers online briefing on the third quarter of 2026, held on Wednesday, 7 October.
That level is higher than in the capital's other office districts. Colliers set it against Thamrin, Mega Kuningan, Rasuna Said, Gatot Subroto, the Satrio area and the part of Sudirman that lies outside SCBD.
Why SCBD is pulling ahead
Ferry Salanto, head of research at Colliers Indonesia, said location is only part of the story. In his view, SCBD gives tenants a package they increasingly want: good buildings, decent public transport, and malls, hotels and restaurants within one integrated district.
Many SCBD towers are also high grade and meet green building standards. Salanto cautioned, however, that other districts may not follow SCBD's recovery. Tenants want a strong location, a quality building and efficient operations all at once.
How much space sits empty
Jakarta still has plenty of vacant space. The central business district has 1.75 million square metres available, and areas outside it another 1.26 million. In total that is roughly 3 million square metres.
At the top end, though, choice is much narrower. Vacant premium space in the CBD stands at 128,000 square metres, with 873,000 square metres of grade A. Outside the CBD, about 190,000 square metres of grade A space is free.
Salanto summed it up this way. Jakarta as a whole still offers tenants a wide range of office options, he said, but the choice of genuinely premium buildings is becoming far more limited.
Tenants pay for convenience, not discounts
Many companies have stopped shrinking their offices. Salanto said many are now relocating because their business needs more room, with energy, IT, logistics and consumer goods firms among the most active.
For several years the market was oversupplied, and landlords competed with cheap rents. The emphasis has since moved to what tenants get for their money. Firms prefer offices that are fitted out and furnished, even at a higher rent, over cheaper space that needs furniture and a long wait before anyone can move in.
Landlords no longer always need to offer the deepest discount, Salanto said. Removing the obstacles that stop a tenant from moving can work better.
Rents are rising
Bagus Adikusumo, senior director of office services at Colliers Indonesia, said rent increases in SCBD are already noticeable. Rents there now range from Rp300,000 to 400,000 per square metre a month, not counting service charges.
Colliers expects SCBD demand to hold. The district is easy to reach, and cars there are not affected by the odd-even number plate restrictions that apply on several Jakarta roads.
What it means for Bali
Jakarta offices and Bali villas are different markets, yet the demand logic is similar. Tenants pay more for a finished property in a good location with amenities nearby, and they avoid cheaper places that still need work. On Bali, holiday guests and long-stay tenants likewise favour fully furnished villas with clear management.
There is also a direct link. Expansion by energy, IT, logistics and consumer firms suggests that part of the capital's business is growing again. Affluent Jakarta residents remain an important source of domestic demand for Bali holidays and property, so the health of the capital's economy is worth tracking.