First, office rents, although they have risen to catch-up a little with other cities, are still low by the standards of those cities. Second, staff costs for many office type activities of the routine type ICT skills are lower than parts of England and non-specialist vacancies are still more easily filled. Third, unlike some other English cities, Belfast can still ensure that reasonably convenient office buildings can be planned with adequate car parking for staff and visitors. Unfortunately, the Planning Service does not seem to be keen to enhance this advantage since it assumes central areas will be served by public transport. For many Belfast office locations in the wider inner city area this is somewhat unrealistic.
Office space is cheaper than in comparable cities in Great Britain.
The comparison with Great Britain is even more favourable when account is taken of the rates bill, or its equivalent. If the average space per employee in modern offices is about 200 square feet, then, as a rough guide, the cost of office space is possibly the equivalent of nearly a fifth of the remuneration costs. Compared with locations in the London area, the advantage is even greater. Belfast has been able to attract new office-based employers and property investors because of the favourable local cost structures. There are now probably more than 3,000 office based jobs in the central and inner Belfast area.