BlackBerry is set to lay off employees around the world as part of the its goal to shift its focus from smartphones towards security software, smart appliances and other higher-margin businesses.
"We continue to grow customer-facing teams around the world, and we continue to invest in bringing in new talent to support areas of strategic focus around software, enterprise, security and the Internet of Things, for example," the Canadian smartphone maker said in a statement, Business Insider reported.
The layoffs come a month after the struggling company said it was considering closing its offices in Sweden, which would put as many as 100 employees out of work, according to The Wall Street Journal. The firm currently employees about 7,000 people around the world.
BlackBerry is under a lot of pressure to keep costs down while it tries to win back its customers after failing to stand against competitors Apple and Samsung Electronics. The companies justifies the lay-offs as a chance to "reallocate resources in ways that will best enable us to capitalize on growth opportunities while driving toward sustainable profitability across all facets of our business."
Blackberry had a 16.8 percent fall in quarterly revenue last March.
The company has not disclosed how many employees will be affected by this move.
