Google (Alphabet) is off to a good start in 2020 - its shares are up about 30% over the last 12 months, but analysts tracked by Zacks Investment Research have a relatively conservative target for earnings, and expectations ($12.76 per share) are only up a little bit from what the California tech giant reported this time a year ago.
However, Google ($GOOG) isn't growing headcount much, judging by job postings. We're seeing a 7.8% decline in global job postings with the search titan - and an even-greater 23% decline in the US alone, our chart above. The majority of more than 3,500 job openings at Google are based in the US.
Google is also backing away from job postings in China - our second chart reflects a 22% drop in job postings there. Now, some of this may be tied to the recent shutdown in job postings many companies with operations in China have experienced, tied to the Coronavirus outbreak.
However, there are plenty of tech companies that spent 2019 and the back half of the year ramping up more job postings, as firms (like Apple) may have sought to get operations and supply chain planning back on board in anticipation of the end of the trade war between Presidents Donald J. Trump and Xi Jinping.
Where we did spot substantial increases in job postings for Google, is in Germany - but also, in Canada. That may be Google honing in on a talent recruitment opportunity that many of its American competitors cannot afford, since Canadian officials have worked harder to open borders to immigrants with tech backgrounds.
Earlier, Thinknum Alternative Data highlighted the fact that Google is posting Waymo jobs - and, it's continued to, nearly unabated. They dipped briefly - Google has a tendency to reduce job postings toward the end of every calendar year, as many large corporates do.
Still, from the beginning until the end of 2019, Google's Waymo investment saw a substantial 64% rise in job postings as the autonomous driving platform ramps up to compete with big Detroit automakers - and other technology companies, too.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
