Apple Will Hire Its Contract Security Staff On A Full-Time Basis

Apple will hire its contract security staff on a full-time basis, a decision that continues a nascent trend of technology giants reducing their use of external labor for non-technical roles. Google made a similar move with its security staff late last year.

According to a media report, Apple will bring “the majority” of its contractual security staffers in-house.

In the current financial climate, wealthy technology companies have come under increased scrutiny in regards to their hiring procedures. Firms willing to spend millions to acquire talent from small or failing startups that have been unwilling to pay their on-campus staff as regular employees have been a sore point.

Current contract employees will be able to apply for the new, full-time security roles at Apple. In a statement, the company said it is “working closely” with its current “security vendor” to allow for the hiring of many current contractors of the smaller firm.

Many technology companies employ shuttle buses to move their employees up and down the San Francisco peninsula. Those buses have been a flashpoint in the current Bay Area unrest concerning increasing wealth inequality and rapid gentrification. Drivers for Facebook, Yahoo and Apple have recently voted to unionize.

Technology companies have been on a tear since 2009 following the last recession. The NASDAQ is currently trading at levels not seen since the last large tech bubble, and the largest firms in the industry each sit on tens of billions in cash. Those facts make it impossible for the companies to make a cost argument when it comes to the labor they depend on to keep their workforces happy and productive.

Apple and Google will not be the last to increase their in-house labor pools. Taking care of the people who take care of you is just good sense.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Apple.