The workforce for the Olympic Park and Athletes’ Village in East London has peaked and has now reduced to just under 11,000 as construction nears completion, latest figures show.

More than 40,000 people have worked on the massive construction site altogether, according to the Olympics Delivery Authority today.

One-in-four of the current workforce live in the five East London ‘host’ boroughs, although there is no minimum time before being classed as a ‘resident’, the Olympics authority admits.

“The transformation has already started to create a physical legacy for East London,” said the authority’s construction chief Howard Shiplee.

The construction has helped 1,580 people in East London find jobs, including many on the dole. More than 1,500 jobs have been filled since April 2008 through a scheme giving 48 hours head start for local applications before they are advertised nationally.