BlackBerry may lay off up to 40% of its staff

Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry may soon effect a round of deep staff cuts by the end of the year and could lay off as much as 40 per cent of its employees, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the Journal , the lay-offs will happen across the board, in areas including sales and research and development.

BlackBerry had 12,700 employees as of March, 2013.

While the report did not state whether the job cuts would affect its India employee base, the company had opened a BlackBerry Innovation Zone in India last year.