outland88 - 10:30 pm on Nov 4, 2010 (gmt 0)

I can say it is hush-hush in quite a few areas because Google has asked many local officials in small US towns and cities to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding its activities and employment figures. In fact in discussions with an editor, part of national chain, he stated they were unable to get the actual employment figures from Google. They also want to know if Google honored various state agreements regarding local employment when Google was given considerable tax breaks. IMO Google wants to keep so much in the dark it would likely take court orders to find the real truth. The actual truth may come from minor players who aren't married to Google income.