Google Hasn’t Stopped Hiring

Last week’s news of Google letting 200 sales and marketing employees go certainly raised eyebrows. Many are wondering whether the search giant is getting leaner and meaner or if they are being dinged by the current state of the economy. If the 360 jobs listed on their website are any indication one has to think that their main reason for the actions of last week were to, like they said, eliminate redundancy and unnecessary layers. Having that many jobs posted certainly is encouraging for those that fit the profiles of these openings.

Of the jobs offered only 30 or so are in the sales and marketing area. There appears to be a rather international flair to the openings as well. If you are looking for that account management position in Cairo that you always wanted this may be your chance. Sales not your thing? How about an engineering position in Krakow?

Other opportunities include being part of the food services group (weren’t they cutting back on that?) or being a Transportation Program Manager which would require overseeing the bike program at the Mountain View campus. A Reuters article notes that while this does seem like a lot of opportunity there is definitely a change occurring at Google.

Google’s headcount has swelled in recent years, reaching 20,222 employees at the end of 2008 compared with 10,674 at the end of 2006.

But the company has slowed hiring in recent quarters as new finance chief Patrick Pichette made controlling costs a bigger priority. In the fourth quarter, Google’s headcount grew less than 100 employees after jumping by between 400 and more than 2,000 employees per quarter during the past couple of years. 

So what’s an analyst’s take on this? Robert Haley of Gabelli & Co. gives Google a buy rating.

Haley said he expects Google’s revenue to continue to grow this year. And as long as Google’s revenue growth outpaced its growth in operating expenses, Haley said he was not worried the continued hiring would work against preserving profit margins. 

Overall, it is unlikely that Google is hurting like the rest of the world. As we have alluded to here before they just seem to be getting older and wiser. This doesn’t bode so well for those other guys who still have aspirations of making a dent in Google’s dominant search position. If Google keeps acting responsibly who knows what might happen. That kind of behavior sure would be a change of pace in this world.