By Annie Hayes, HRZone Editor

A London Chamber of Commerce poll shows that 68% of London businesses back the Capital’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games while 47% of the 357 respondents believe they would benefit in some way if London wins the bid; Editor’s Comment looks at what the Games would mean for jobs creation and skills.

In just six months London will learn its fate. If the Capital can knock Paris off its odds-on favourite ‘safe’ seat then it could be in the bag.

So what would the Olympics mean for jobs creation?

According to the official bid organisers, London 2012 thousands of new jobs would be created in the Capital and across the UK and once the Games end, they say that the Olympic Park will accommodate 12,000 new jobs.

The vision is a 500-acre Olympic precinct set in 1,500 acres of parkland containing an 80,000 seater stadium, an aquatic centre with a 50-metre swimming pool and a multi-sport complex.

London businesses would benefit by hundreds of contracts to support this huge rebuild triggering a frenzy of recruitment within the following areas:

• Construction




• Tourism




• Media

With an already tight labour market and a recognised skills gap, however, would London really be able to supply the right types of workers in abundance?

Most organisations I talked to seemed upbeat about the challenges:

Graham Watts, Chief Executive at the Construction Industry Council told me:

“The industry will certainly find the people to do the work particularly if we can continue to keep pace with the targets for recruitment and retention being set by the Strategic Forum. As far as the specifics of work in the Lea Valley there are already well-developed plans for a local Skills Academy which will help to train and retrain local people.”

The games would not only bring jobs creation to the sectors mentioned above but would also help to revive the flagging recruitment industry.

Gareth Osborne, Managing Director of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said: “To stage the Olympics would require many temporary/contract staff with a variety of different skills, as this is a worldwide exhibition organisers will want to make sure that they use the very best agencies and so we suspect it will be a very busy time for our members.”

An Olympic Games on our doorsteps would also see 70,000 volunteers sharpen up their skills. The Bid organisers commented, “To maximise the opportunities available to them, a voluntary job programme and local job brokerage schemes should be set up so that people can develop transferable skills through voluntary work opportunities.”

A spokesperson at 2012 told me that this wealth of volunteers would be involved in a number of activities from: “administration, stewarding to driving athletes around.”

An exceptional opportunity then for the low-skilled or unemployed to retrain and get some valuable work experience under their wings.

Last September, 2012 London Chairman and double Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe addressed the Trades Union Annual Congress in Brighton and said:

“Our aim must be to draw as much of the workforce from the local community, and complemented by local training initiatives run by the London Development Agency and other partners.”

Included in this plan of action for union support would be:

• A London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games which would develop a fair employment framework, and policies to cover issues such as remuneration, terms and conditions and health and safety.
• A pledge to work in partnership with trade unions and developers to ensure infrastructure is delivered on time, on budget and with appropriate levels of investment in skills, training, and health and safety, all enshrined in common practice.

Of this pledge, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Britain’s unions will fully support the campaign to win the London Olympics. In particular we welcome the clear commitments to jobs, economic regeneration, skills and safety.”

But while business might benefit from jobs creation and contract tenders; the other side of the story is a question mark over the scale of tax increases necessary to fund the improvements.

Many Londoners outside of the Olympic East-End ring are reluctant to pay for something they say will not directly benefit them; even more-so when they work in a field which will not directly benefit from the business boosts on offer either.

But many of the benefits the Olympics would bring should last long after the short-term fiscal hits have been forgotten.

The Games promise to bring nine thousand new homes, alongside new schools, health and community facilities. A further opportunity for businesses to boost revenues and for the Capital to encourage the movement of labour in and to London.

A shortage of housing has brought the movement of labour to a virtual standstill. Encouraging flexibility, oils the wheels of new innovation, fresh skills and competition. A must if Britain is to forge ahead as a world leader.

If these arguments don’t convince you then if nothing else the 2012 Olympics would at least bring a lasting sporting legacy. With a nation on the brink of an obesity epidemic, injecting some physical education into our blood can only be a good thing.

New sporting facilities may just encourage London’s workers to get off their bums and fight the flab; something we’ll all need to do if we’re going to keep the oxygen flowing to spark those precious ideas of innovation!