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A significant percentage of Google’s workforce are temps, vendors, and contractors (what they call TVC). They are approximately more than FTE. I believe the stats are 150,000 TVC versus 144,000 full-time employees.

How is Google juggling this reduction in force? Are we talking TVC or FTE?

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This post refers to full-time employees. You don't really need to fire TVCs; they're generally on shorter term contracts, which you can choose not to renew.

Any classification is an at-will relationships to Google. Google can choose not to keep/renew anyone. I’ve met many TVCs who have tenure at Google as good as an FTE.

The idea was that TVCs are the buffer headcount during recessions and would be the first to go when rebalancing. If they are truly laying off only FTE, it’s worth asking what Google is doing to TVC headcount. It’s unspoken so far.

usually when a company says layoffs, it’s FTEs. contractors probably don’t even get an announcement and aren’t included in this number.

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