Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said the creation of sustainable jobs for the London 2012 Games is a government priority.
“We estimate that around 7,000 jobs will be created during the course of the development of the Olympic site and infrastructure, with the prospect of about 12,000 permanent jobs servicing the site and the legacy afterwards” she told the Trades Union Congress 2005. “We are determined that these will be quality jobs”.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone told delegates at the Congress that a key issue included ensuring that there were enough trained workers to build the Olympic infrastructure.
Meanwhile, one of the jobs to be filled is a leader for the London 2012 Summer Games and organizers expect to pay the successful candidate appointed to run the seven-year project, a salary of 500,000 pounds.
Board members have admitted it may take such a generous remuneration to lure someone as chief executive, probably from the private sector, with the skills and experience of delivering the Games.
The recruitment process formally began last week when the position was advertised in the national press. Deadline for applications is October 10.
The successful candidate will be on a shortlist compiled by headhunters before he or she is chosen by LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe and his deputy Keith Mills, towards the end of the year. The new chief executive is expected to start by next March.
The chief executive will handle the daily operations and keep Government interference to a minimum. He or she will recruit key people, manage a staff of about 3,000, and handle a two billion dollar budget.
