The Irish Independent has today reported that Google is on track to become Dublin's largest private industrial employer with fresh plans to add 400 new jobs in Dublin.

At present, Google employs over 6,000 people through a combination of 3,000 permanent staff and 3,000 contractors. 

According to recently filed accounts, the vast majority of its staff (1,972) are in sales and marketing with 397 in engineering and operations and 455 in administration and other activities.

The news comes after Google closes in on another new office building in Dublin's docklands. Sources close to Google said the company is in talks to rent the newly-constructed Velasco building, a 51,000 sq ft block close to the company's European headquarters in the Grand Canal region of Dublin 2.

While an agreement has not yet been signed, Google is favourite to take over the property according to the source.

According to the Irish Independent report, Google continues to use its Irish base as a tax-efficient aggregator for international sales. Its latest accounts show that it paid €47m in tax on a profit of €294m in Ireland in 2015, however, it booked €22.6bn in sales here during the same period. While its gross profit on this €22.6bn in sales was €17.1bn, it recorded €16.9bn as "administrative expenses" which were paid to other parts of its global organisation.

In its most recent accounts, the company's vice president and outgoing site lead in Ireland, Ronan Harris, said the continued global expansion of the company's products, its advertiser and user base, as well as an increase in the number of Google Network Members, had contributed to the company's overall growth in Ireland.

Source: www.businessworld.ie