Google Breaks Ground On Kirkland Expansion

Google officially launched construction of a new building to double its campus in Kirkland.

The Seattle area is already home to the third-largest Google center in the US, behind New York City and Mountain View, California. Google says it’s expanding here because it likes the talent coming out of nearby universities. It is not saying how much it intends to grow its workforce in Kirkland.

About 600 people work in Kirkland now. Another 400 are in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. The company has previously said it could see several thousand people eventually working in the region.

The question is how soon Google can fill the new space. Analysts and recruiters say Seattle has become a ferociously competitive market for software engineers. According to Indeed.com, which tracks job postings, 5,200 software engineer jobs are open in the Seattle area now.

The new Google building is expected to offer healthy food, open spaces and other comforts to attract and keep workers. Analysts say that for highly qualified workers, company reputation and potential can be the deciding factor.