The average salary at Google Ireland was a stunning €133,000 last year, as the company reports a 34% increase in turnover in its latest accounts.

For the financial year 2021, the tech giant reported turnover of €64.8bn - €16.4bn higher than in 2020 - which the company attributes primarily to "increases in search queries" as well as "continued growth in advertiser activity within Search and YouTube".

Increases in turnover were also driven by sites using the company's AdSense tools, particularly from its mobile ad division and programmatic advertising buying.

The financial statement also states that in 2021 the company employed 4,214 people, down 100 from 2020. This decrease was "primarily due to the transition of some business activities to another Irish group" during the year and was "partially offset by continued recruitment" by Google.

The number of people employed by Google in Ireland actually increased in 2021 because 300 staff were transferred to work on a separate Google cloud computing entity.

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To those 4,214 staff, the company paid out €560,142,000 in salaries, which averages out at €132,924 each. It is difficult to calculate more accurate average salaries for employees as Google does not disclose salary information.

The company says it employs 2,639 staff in sales and marketing, 580 in research and development, and 1,005 in "general and administration".

The company also paid €61.6m in social welfare costs for staff as well as €155.5m in share-based payments. When the full cost of employees' salaries and benefits are added together, it totals nearly €800m.

"For the year ended December 31, 2021 directors have received remuneration in respect of qualifying services to the company in the aggregate amount of €1.3m and benefits under long-term incentive schemes from other group undertakings in the aggregate amount of €4m," Google said.

The company's gross profit in 2021 was of €50.5bn, up from €36.4bn in 2020. Net profit was of €2.4bn.

The company's accounts filing said: "Administration expenses increased from €33.6bn to €47.8bn in the year, an increase of €14.2bn. This increase is related to a number of factors, including an increase in royalties paid to group undertakings and an increase in sales and marketing efforts across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region."

The company's cost of sales increased to €14.4bn - up €2.4bn from 2020 - with the increase largely due to traffic acquisition costs, which are payments that search companies make to online firms to direct site traffic.

"These costs consist of amounts ultimately paid to Google Network Members, as well as to distribution partners, who make available Google's search access points and services.

"Traffic acquisition costs increased during the year and were offset by a reduction in certain operating fees paid to fellow group undertakings," the company said.

The company identified future risks to profits including the war in Ukraine. Google suspended the "vast majority of its commercial activities in Russia" and, as a result, "future revenue will be impacted".

Other risks are "increased regulatory scrutiny" and changes to "regulatory conditions, laws and policies" as well as "data privacy and security concerns relating to technology and practices that could damage its reputation".

"We have continued to invest in Ireland as the headquarters of our business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa," said a Google spokeswoman.