Today, Google took another step closer to becoming Dublin's largest single private sector employer.
Its head of operations, John Herlihy, announced that the company will invest €75 million in a new data centre close in Clondalkin, West Dublin. The move will create 200 temporary construction jobs and 30 full-time on-site jobs, mostly IT-related.
The significance of the announcement is not the scale of the jobs created or the individual sum invested. The importance of Google's latest Irish move is that it further embeds the search engine giant in Ireland.
Consider that the IDA contributed nothing to this latest €75 million investment. In other words, the value of the proposition for Google was not related to any immediate subsidy.
Since it began operations on Dublin's Barrow Street five years ago, Google has purchased three large office blocks (at a cost of almost €200 million from its own coffers) and increased its employment to 2,200.
That makes it a more important employer than all but a handful of companies in Dublin. its continued investment is also a signal to other high-tech companies that Ireland is a reliable, long-term place to set up an international, export-focused digital business.
Some of the fruits of that decision were seen earlier this week when Twitter announced that it was to set up an "international" office in Dublin.
Does Google stay in Dublin primarily because of the preferential 12.5 per cent corporate tax rate? Unquestionably. But would it keep hiring more and more people if Ireland was just a tax haven with little else to offer? Not a chance. Google is a cut-throat company that competes aggressively and needs top-notch, highly motivated staff to see its plans bear fruit.
So look past the headlines of 200 temporary jobs and 30 full-time jobs: the real significance is that Google is fast becoming one of Ireland's most important 'local' companies.
