Google plans to invest more than $7 billion ”“ including $250 million in New York ”“ and create at least 10,000 new full-time jobs in the U.S. this year, it announced today.
“I believe a lasting economic recovery will come from local communities, and the people and small businesses that give them life. Google wants to be a part of that recovery,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet.
The company is investing in its long-term campus footprint in Manhattan, with an eventual 1.7 million square feet total office space in Hudson Square.
Its latest addition is the St. John”™s Terminal at 550 Washington St., which is expected to be completed in mid-2022 and be occupied by 2023.
Further, construction at Pier 57 is underway, which will include an events center, public retail amenities and about 320,000 square feet of office space occupied by Google. The Pier 57 site will have 24,000 square feet of community space for education programs and environmental programs run by the Hudson River Park Trust and an additional 5,000 square feet of open public space.
Along with developing new working spaces, Google is also developing an increasingly representative workforce. Last year, Pichai signed on to the NYC CEO Jobs Council, which is a coalition of employers aiming to hire 100,000 low-income Black, Latinx and Asian New Yorkers over the next 10 years.
“This is a massive investment in New York City by Google,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Today”™s announcement shows how we are driving a recovery for all of us. Our economy is going to come back stronger and fairer than ever by creating thousands upon thousands of new tech jobs, supporting small businesses and showing the world the strength of New York City”™s diverse, unparalleled workforce.”
The company has maintained a presence in New York for over two decades, and has more than 11,000 full-time employees in the state.
Google also released its 2020 Economic Impact Report today, demonstrating significant economic activity provided in New York state.
Last year, 169,600 New York businesses, publishers and nonprofits used Google products, generating $70.04 billion in economic activity.
The company provided $82.88 million of in-kind search advertising credit to New York nonprofits in 2020 through the Google Ad Grants program. And as schools went remote, the New York City Department of Education ”” the largest public education system in the country ”” relied on Google Classroom to keep 1 million students engaged in distance learning.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by the Connected Commerce Council from February 12 to 26 found over 78% percent of New York”™s small businesses increased their use of digital tools ”“ services, platforms, and marketplaces ”“ during the pandemic; 93% of New York small and medium-size businesses plan to continue using digital tools at the same or higher rate than they did during the pandemic; and 82% of New York businesses consider digital tools as either important or essential to their business operations.
