BUSINESS
Google to create new Irish jobs: reports
12-12-2005
by Ciara O'Brien
Search engine giant Google is poised to create an extra 700 jobs in Ireland, according to weekend reports, but official sources remain tight-lipped on the matter.
The 700 additional jobs would bring Google's Irish-based workforce to more than 1,000. Google employs 4,183 people worldwide.
Despite being described as a significant expansion for the multinational, both IDA Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment had no comment on reports of the new jobs. A spokesperson for IDA Ireland said the reports were "media speculation," while the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment would not say whether such an announcement was likely. Google Ireland was also keeping quiet on the matter; the company's spokesperson was unable to be reached for comment on Monday morning. [*See update at end of story.]
The reports of the additional employment come as a boost for both the government and the Irish workforce, after a year that has seen escalating industrial relations rows, redundancies and jobs losses around the country.
Located in Dublin and opened in 2004, Google's European headquarters is the first operations centre for the firm outside of the US. At the launch of the new HQ, Sergey Brin, one of Google's founders, described Dublin as "an amazing place with incredibly talented people". A quick glance at Google's job listings on its own website reveals more than 100 positions are currently up for grabs across the business, including roles in product development, sales and engineering.
The Irish connection has yielded some benefits for Google already. Earlier this year, it was reported that Google was using a network of Irish companies to cut its tax bill, dropping its effective tax rate from 39 percent to 31 percent. This translated into a saving of EUR100 million a year.
The multinational has gone from strength to strength since its IPO in 2004, with its most recent results highlighting a sevenfold increase in profit and a 96 percent jump in revenues. For the third quarter of 2005, the online search giant revealed net income of USD381.2 million -- USD1.32 per diluted share -- growing from USD52 million (USD0.19 a share) from the same period in 2004. Irish subsidiary Google Ireland reported a turnover of EUR603 million in 2004.
*Update: After this story was published, a spokesperson for Google told ElectricNews.net that the US company is planning to make an official announcement about the new jobs on Tuesday.
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