At Colliers, we understand the interconnectedness of data and the importance of considering macroeconomic trends and anecdotes in making real estate decisions. Below are 10 facts and figures that have caught our attention this month.
- 39% of employees would consider quitting if employers are not flexible on remote work, per a poll by Morning Consult for Bloomberg News. That figure jumps to 49% for Millennials and Gen Z.
- The BLS reported that a record high four million workers quit their jobs in April . That nearly doubles the number from one year ago, but follows the trend seen pre-pandemic.
- Employers added 559,000 jobs in May, per preliminary estimates from the BLS, which is below the consensus estimate of 671,000. But some are arguing that there is a labor shortage, even with 7.6 million fewer jobs than in February 2020.
- McDonald’s is testing automated voice ordering at 10 drive-through locations. Other fast-food operators are looking at ways to automate their operations.
- The May box office was up nearly 21,000% from year-ago levels, per Box Office Mojo.
- More than two million travelers took to the skies on June 11, per TSA figures. That is up 1.5 million travelers from last year, and 74% of June 2019 travel volume.
- About 2.1 million homeowners are still in forbearance plans, per Mortgage Bankers Association data. A national foreclosure moratorium ends on June 30. Foreclosure filings peaked in 2010 at nearly 2.9 million, per Attom Data Solutions. Even in a worst-case scenario, this is not a repeat of the housing crisis.
- Blackstone has agreed to buy QTS Realty Trust Inc., operator of data centers, for $10 billion (including the assumption of debt), which is 21% over the previous closing price.
- CNN and Moody’s Analytics’ Back-to-Normal Index shows that the economies of South Dakota, Florida, Rhode Island, Nebraska, and Idaho are all at or above early March 2020 levels. Meanwhile, a recent UCLA study notes that the economies of states with more stringent governmental COVID policy, such as California, outperformed in 2020.
- Cox Automotive noted that 1.78 million vehicles sat on dealer lots at the end of May, which is 54% below 2019 levels and adds up to 35 days of supply. Toyota had the lowest days of supply, at 18.