Google Inc. plans to hire more than 2,000 people as it expands into new markets, Reuters reported.

On Thursday, the Web search engine provider’s website listed job openings for 2,076 positions, which is up nearly sixfold from a similar count conducted by Reuters in March.

“We’ve been ramping up our hiring and the number of open jobs over the course of the last year,” said Jordan Newman, a Google spokesman.

The news follows Google’s internal announcement earlier this month that it would give all of its employees a 10 percent pay increase next year, which, according to a number of media reports, may be the company’s way of trying to retain top workers.

About half of Google’s current job openings are primarily for engineers and sales staff and about half are located in the United States. Most of the listings appeared to be for full-time positions.

Google, which controls approximately two-thirds of the global Internet search market, is looking to grow in several markets with products such as its Android smartphone software.

The company, which has made more than 20 acquisitions this year, employs more than 23,300 people, a nearly 18 percent increase from the beginning of 2010.