Sony is planning to cut another 1,000 jobs in its money-losing smartphone division, which would mainly affect its workforce in China and Europe. The move is expected to be announced in the company's April-December earnings report, scheduled for February 4, according to a Reuters report.

The job cuts follow a similar number of layoffs that Sony announced back in October last year. At that time, the company said that the move was a result of poor handset sales, and would help it direct resources to some of its more successful businesses, like its PlayStation division and image sensor production.

The report also notes that the Sony Mobile workforce will come down by around 30 percent to 5,000 by March next year.

Despite churning out decent smartphones in the recent past, Sony's smartphone division has been struggling to make profits largely because of stiff competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung, as well as Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

The company is trying hard to turn the ailing business around, keeping all its options open – earlier this month there were reports that Sony is mulling a sale (or even a joint venture) of the smartphone division.

The news also comes just a couple of weeks after Sony announced that it is closing all its brick-and-mortar retail stores in Canada.