With tough times these days it likely comes as no surprise that now Google has taken a look at its workforce and they will be slashing some jobs. While the number isn’t yet clear, it is very clear that the company will be targeting contractors as some of the first that will be hitting the unemployment line.

You can spin the details that are coming in from a variety of sources however you like, but the news is that the company just does have too many employees and they need to get expenses under control. While a number of sources indicate that Google has been slowing down the number of people that they have been adding in recent months, it is still unclear as to how many could wind up unemployed when the dust settles.

While the present economic situation is not good and the word ‘recession’ keeps getting tossed around, layoffs continue to be part of the norm these days for companies in the IT sector. It was once thought that Google was “recession-proof” and this isn’t the case, it would seem; and all our sources say that as many as 10,000 workers could be vulnerable. Our insiders do tell us that if you happen to be a contractor at Google you are likely more vulnerable than an actual Google employee.

No firm details have been released yet as to how or when the company will start the cuts, but we have to guess that the news will be coming soon. After all, they have not been shy about the fact that they have been studying the staffing situation at Google for the last six months.