The layoffs come on top of 4,000 jobs Google eliminated at Motorola Mobility in August as the Internet search giant seeks to make more smartphones and fewer simple handsets.
The email about the job cuts, which will affect workers in the United States, China and India, said "our costs are too high, we're operating in markets where we're not competitive and we're losing money," according to the Journal.
Google bought the money-losing cellphone maker for $12.5 billion last year - its largest acquisition ever - aiming to use Motorola Mobility's patents to fend off legal attacks on its Android mobile platform and expand beyond its software business.
The acquisition raised concerns on Wall Street that Google was entering a business with much lower profit margins.
Google and Motorola Mobility could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters outside regular business hours.
© Thomson Reuters 2013
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.