Tech job losses in the UK from Google amounted to nearly 400 between December 2023 and 2024, as revealed in the company’s accounts.

Google UK’s financial statements from the year ending in December 2024 shows that its headcount dropped from 7,422 to 7,029, as first reported by City A.M.

This means 393 workers lost their jobs within this financial year, which saw the UK-registered firm of the global tech giant gain a year-on-year turnover increase of £82m, totalling £2.89bn.

The news comes after accounts were released as part of Google’s new contract to open a data centre in Hertfordshire as part of its £5bn investment plan in the UK.

Google has joined a number of tech giants, mainly based in the US, to invest heavily in the infrastructure needed to strengthen the UK’s tech ecosystem and achieve its AI ambitions.

The investment, which will also focus on research, development, and capital spending, could lead to the create of more than 8,000 jobs, the tech giant suggested.

Further, Google’s cloud service was selected by the UK government for its public sector organisation digital transformation and skills plan, further entrusting the company with the UK’s tech goals. Google Cloud has struggled against Microsoft and Amazon in the fight for cloud market dominance – it lags between the top two services in the UK and globally.

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It’s partnership with the UK government, which will see its cloud services support local councils, the NHS, and other civil and public organisations, could see it strengthen its foothold in the UK market.

While Google is making deals and investments in the UK with the promise of jobs, it faces a lawsuit alleging that it has unfair market dominance in search filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The tech giant has long faced regulator ire and lawsuits regarding its dominant market position in search as well as advertising.

This scrutiny continues despite pressure from the US government over foreign regulators, particularly the EU, coming after US tech giants over unfair practices, data protection concerns, and market dominance.

It remains to be seen how many jobs the new Google investment will make in the UK in the coming years.