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Leasing activity remained in the doldrums at the end of 2023, contributing to another uptick in Boston office vacancies.

The vacancy rate hit 15.8 percent, up 0.5 percent from the previous quarter, while availabilities ticked up slightly to 22 percent, CBRE reported.

Leasing activity dropped 46 percent from the previous quarter to 495,000 square feet.

The news wasn’t entirely discouraging, according to one leading indicator of future leasing activity. Tenants are currently scouting 3.6 million square feet of office space, after falling below 3 million square feet in 2022, CBRE said in its fourth-quarter office market report.

The quarter was characterized by a sluggish leasing environment, as tenants inked 495,000 square feet and the 83 million-square-foot market recorded over 255,000 square feet of negative absorption.

“A higher proportion than ever of the reduced tenant demand in the market is deciding to sign for discounted sublease spaces or remain in place to avoid relocation costs and capital expenses,” CBRE researchers wrote.

Across Greater Boston, the office market had a historically weak year in 2023, with only 1.5 million square feet of transactions, brokerage Newmark reported this week. That figure represents roughly half of the 10-year average. Companies currently are listing 10.8 million square feet of space for sublease.

“Companies which have not had success in bringing employees back to the office are the main contributors to the expanding sublease inventory, and tenant demand in the market is focused on prebuilt, move-in-ready suites,” Newmark’s research team reported.

The largest new suburban lease signed during the quarter was 34,623 square feet by Paragonix Technologies at 950 Winter St. in Waltham.