黑莓今天在滑铁卢裁员250人

WCCA

WATERLOO – BlackBerry is laying off another 250 employees in Waterloo.

This week's layoffs bring to about 850 the number of jobs the smartphone maker has cut in Waterloo since announcing plans for massive cost reductions in September.

It issued layoff notices to about 300 workers in each of two rounds of layoffs last month.

The company confirmed the latest job cuts in a statement on Monday.

"As previously mentioned, we are in a period of transition and we must focus on enhancing our financial results to be in a better position to compete in this current mobile environment," it said in a statement.

"As such, BlackBerry has implemented an ongoing workforce reduction that will impact approximately 4,500 employees globally over the next three quarters. This week's reduction includes approximately 250 employees in Waterloo."

As in previous statements, the company said it recognizes its employee's hard work and the difficulty of the job cuts. "We will do everything in our power to treat our employees with compassion, while offering support during this time of transition."

BlackBerry has seen its market share plummet while Apple's iPhone and Android-powered smartphones grow in popularity.

Last week, it completed a deal that saw a group of investors led by Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings invest $1 billion US in the company.

Former Sybase Inc. chief executive officer John Chen took over as interim CEO and executive chair of the company's board.