Olympic contractors struggling to hire local workers

Contractors on Olympics construction projects are finding it difficult to hire local labour because of the economic downturn.

Prior to winning work on the Olympics, contractors were under pressure to recruit from the Stratford area. But a report by the Evening Standard suggests that the recession’s impact is forcing construction firms to use existing workers rather than hire in local labour.

One contractor told the Standard: "We had intended to hire locally but the recession has meant so many building projects have been halted since we made these pledges that we are sending our existing staff to the Olympic site.

"Our intentions were good but the reality has proved different."

The Olympic Delivery Authority has always stressed its commitment to employing workers from the five East London boroughs which host the Games, although it has not set a quota.

This morning, there was further controversy over the labour used on the Olympics, after figures obtained by the Tories showed that 136 illegal foreign workers were arrested on the site last year.