google has 121000 temps and contractors compared with 102000 fulltime employees creditjessica eve rattner for the new york timesmay 28 2019san francisco mindy cruz had an offer for a fulltime position at another big tech company when she accepted a temporary job as a recruiter at google in 2017 the pay was less and the benefits were not as good but it was one step closer to her dream of becoming a google employeems cruz became one of googles many temps and contractors a shadow work force that now outnumbers the companys fulltime employees but she never made the jump to full time she was swiftly fired after a google manager who she said had harassed her for months told the temp agency that had hired her that he wanted her gonehightech companies have long promoted the idea that they are egalitarian idyllic workplaces and google perhaps more than any other has represented that image with a reputation for enviable salaries and benefits and lavish perksbut the companys increasing reliance on temps and contractors has some google employees wondering if management is undermining its carefully crafted culture as of march google worked with roughly 121000 temps and contractors around the world compared with 102000 fulltime employees according to an internal document obtained by the new york timesthough they often work side by side with fulltimers google temps are usually employed by outside agencies they make less money have different benefits plans and have no paid vacation time in the united states according to more than a dozen current and former google temp and contract workers most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreementsbetter treatment for those workers was one of the demands made by organizers of a google employee walkout last year to protest the companys handling of sexual harassment complaintsits time to end the twotier system that treats some workers as expendable the walkout organizers wrote on twitter in marchwhen sundar pichai googles chief executive did not respond to those demands a group of anonymous contractors sent an open letter demanding equal pay and better opportunities for advancement in april hundreds of google employees signed another letter protesting the dismissal of about 80 percent of a 43person team of contingent workers working on the companys artificial intelligence assistantin response google said it was changing a number of its policies to improve conditions for its temps and contractorsthe reliance on temporary help has generated more controversy inside google than it has at other big tech outfits but the practice is common in silicon valley contingent labor accounts for 40 to 50 percent of the workers at most technology firms according to estimates by oncontracting a site that helps people find tech contracting positionsoncontracting estimates that a technology company can save 100000 a year on average per american job by using a contractor instead of a fulltime employeeits creating a caste system inside companies said pradeep chauhan who runs oncontractingin statements to the times