As Google Cloud’s operating income surged 632 percent in third quarter 2024, Google’s top executives say the company is hiring fewer employees compared to a few years ago.

Top Google executives say they are hiring fewer employees compared to a few years ago as the $88 billion tech giant looks to drive operational efficiency as Google Cloud’s operating income increased a whopping 632 percent year over year in third-quarter 2024.

Google’s Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi said one of his key priorities for the company “is to look across the organization to see what we can do in terms of driving further efficiencies.”

“There’s really good work that was done started by Ruth Porat (Google’s President and chief investment officer), [CEO] Sundar Pichai and the rest of the lead team to reengineer the cost base. But I think any organization can always push a little further,” said Ashkenazi during Google’s third-quarter financial earnings report this week.

[Related: Google Cloud GM And Microsoft Critic Departs]

Google executives on Wednesday fielded hiring and cost-cutting questions from Google employees during an all-hands meeting, according to a report by CNBC.

“We are hiring less than we did a couple of years ago,” Google’s Brian Ong, vice president of recruiting, reportedly said during the call.

Ong said fewer positions are open and geographic hiring has changed, “so you may see fewer roles available” depending on geographical location, according to CNBC.

However, Google’s worldwide headcount is roughly the same as it was one year ago.

Google’s 181,270 Employees

As of Sept. 30, 2024, Google had approximately 181,270 employees worldwide.

One year ago on Sept. 30, 2023, Google’s global headcount was 182,380 employees.

This means Google’s current headcount is only about 1,100 employees fewer— or less than 1 percent—compared to one year ago, according to a release by Google.

Looking at Google’s operational income for third quarter 2024, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company generated $28.5 billion in operating income.

This is far greater—34 percent more—compared to Google’s operating income of $21.3 billion one year ago during third quarter 2023.

Operating Income Explodes At Google Cloud

Operating income at Google Cloud exploded to $1.9 billion during the third quarter 2024.

This represented a massive 632 percent operating income increase year over year compared to $266 million in Q3 2023.

Google’s CFO said he is “looking at additional opportunities” inside the company to review “not just the size of the organization, but mostly how we operate and how we run the business.”

Google And Google Cloud’s Q3 2024 Earnings Results

Google generated a total of $80.5 billion in sales across the entire company with operating income of $25.5 billion during the third quarter of 2024.

Google Cloud reported a record $11.4 billion in sales during Q3 2024, representing an increase of 35 percent year over year compared to $8.4 billion.