BlackBerry laying off 300 in Waterloo, Ont., this week

BlackBerry is laying off 300 people in Waterloo, Ont., this week in the latest round of cuts aimed at reducing the struggling smartphone maker's global workforce by 4,500.

"We recognize our local employees hard work on behalf of our company and the difficulty of this news," BlackBerry spokeswomanRebecca Freiburger wrote in an email statement to CBC News onTuesday.

"We will do everything in our power to treat our employees with compassion, while offering support during this time of transition."

BlackBerry continues to undergo a review of its "strategic alternatives" including the possible sale of the tech company.

The struggling smartphone makerhas not specifiedthe total number of people in Waterloo whowill lose their jobs as part of the 40 per cent reduction of the global workforce.

Once a dominant player in the smartphone market, BlackBerryhas seen subscribers flee and its new line ofBB10phones gather dust on store shelves.

The company has cut more than 7,000 jobs in the last three years.