Hosting major international events requires a substantial workforce. The Olympic Games are no exception: preparing infrastructure, organizing logistics, and managing the event generate a significant surge in activity across multiple sectors, mobilizing thousands of workers over a defined period.
These jobs primarily respond to operational needs. However, they have also become an explicit objective for organizers, who seek to ensure that the Games generate positive economic spillovers for host territories and contribute to their long-term development.
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, for instance, are associated with an estimated 35,000 jobs, alongside structural investments intended to support the long-term development of Northern Italy through the “Impact 2026” program (e.g., student housing, Milan 2030 urban development plan, railway and public transport expansion, healthcare infrastructure investments, etc.). Looking ahead to the French Alps 2030 Winter Games, one study estimates that close to 50,000 jobs will be mobilized for the organization of the event.
What exactly do these job figures represent? Which sectors and populations are concerned? And to what extent can these opportunities generate a lasting impact? This article explores these questions through the example of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which have been extensively studied both ex ante and ex post.
Before and During the Games: A Multi-Sectoral Impact
The preparatory phase accounts for a significant share of employment effects, particularly in construction and public works. Hosting the Games requires building or renovating sports facilities, athletes’ villages, as well as adapting transport and reception infrastructure.
For Paris 2024, nearly 27,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs were mobilized for the delivery of permanent Olympic infrastructure, representing almost half of all jobs attributed to the organization of the Games (INSEE).
During the event itself, numerous sectors are involved, with a strong reliance on local labor: 76% of the workforce mobilized for Paris 2024 came from the Île-de-France region.
- Sport-related activities
According to INSEE, sports-related activities were the leading contributor in terms of FTEs for the organization of the Games. Project coordination, sponsorship management, sports marketing, and competition logistics all benefited from increased visibility and significant skills development. Beyond short-term job creation, major sporting events can contribute to strengthening the sports sector in the longer term.
- Event organization: security, logistics, communication
A joint study by the Ministry of Labour and the sectoral skills bodies AFDAS and AKTO estimated that 90,000 jobs were required in event organization. Among them: 26,000 in security, 18,000 in on-site catering, 13,000 in communication, and more than 5,000 in freight transport and logistics.
- Tourism and related services
The influx of visitors also generated direct impacts on hospitality, retail, cleaning services, waste management, and passenger transport. Around 62,000 jobs were mobilized in these sectors, including nearly 30,000 in hospitality and catering. These positions were predominantly seasonal or short-term contracts, although some employers used the opportunity to recruit more permanently, particularly in hospitality — a sector facing structural recruitment tensions.
The Olympic Games as a Lever for Professional Inclusion?
Major international events also represent an opportunity for individuals who are distant from the labor market and often low-qualified.
For Paris 2024, the Olympic Delivery Authority (SOLIDEO) implemented an Employment Charter aimed at facilitating access to jobs for disadvantaged groups, including young people from priority neighborhoods, persons with disabilities, long-term unemployed individuals, and seniors. The charter also sought to create a lasting employment legacy for areas of the Paris region with high unemployment rates. These objectives were notably integrated into the “Emploi JOP 93” program, which enabled 4,000 individuals to contribute to the construction of the Athletes’ Village, the Media Village, and the Olympic Aquatics Centre.
According to initial data released by SOLIDEO, the employment retention rate of beneficiaries reached nearly 70% a few months after the Games.
Many sectors involved in the Games offer positions accessible with little or no prior qualification, often through short or tailored training programs:
- Security: certifications such as SSIAP 1 or vocational titles enable rapid upskilling.
- Cleaning and waste management: recognition of prior learning (VAE), sectoral certificates (CQP), vocational qualifications, and pre-employment training schemes (POE) facilitate access to employment. Mobility between related occupations is also possible.
- Logistics: needs include both low-qualified operators and drivers. Professionalization contracts, pre-employment collective training schemes (POEC), apprenticeships, and temporary contracts were mobilized. Short vocational diplomas (CAP, BEP) can also ease entry into the sector.
- Hospitality and catering: short training programs, sometimes provided directly by employers, may be complemented by specific skills such as foreign language proficiency in an international context.
While these initiatives demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusion, they often remain limited to the duration of the event. Transforming short-term contracts into stable career pathways remains a key challenge.
Anticipating Needs and Building a Lasting Impact
Two major challenges emerge for future Olympic Games, including the French Alps 2030 edition.
The first is anticipation. Studies show that identifying the sectors concerned, forecasting employment and skills needs, informing employment and training stakeholders early on, and structuring professional sectors through coordinated networks are essential to secure infrastructure delivery and event operations. Some sectors, such as security, may experience recruitment tensions until the very last stages of preparation.
The second challenge concerns medium- and long-term impact. If future Olympic editions aim to achieve a lasting economic and social legacy, sustainable professional integration must become a central objective — both for disadvantaged groups and for sectors facing structural challenges related to attractiveness, workforce retention, and professional structuring (including creative, artistic, and event-related industries).
Several solutions can support this objective:
- Building genuine career pathways between major events, particularly in sectors experiencing activity peaks (event management, tourism, construction, etc.). This involves moving beyond short-term contracts by organizing horizontal mobility (between related occupations) and vertical mobility (skills upgrading and access to higher-responsibility positions). Close collaboration with sectoral bodies can support professional progression through modular certifications, recognition of prior learning (VAE), and formal validation of competencies.
- Structuring a territorial network dedicated to employment and skills issues, bringing together organizers, local authorities, sectoral bodies, training providers, and employment actors. Such coordination should be embedded in strategic local policy frameworks (regional economic development plans, employment and training strategies, urban contracts) in order to align short-term event needs with long-term territorial priorities.
- Integrating ambitious employment and inclusion objectives into bidding and contractual frameworks, including enforceable clauses related to sustainable employment, follow-up hiring commitments, and structured career continuity after the Games.
Transforming a temporary surge in activity into a sustainable territorial dynamic requires more than short-term labor mobilization. It entails consolidating career pathways, facilitating mobility between occupations, and embedding Olympic investments within a coherent medium- and long-term economic development strategy.
