U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp is planning to cut a small number of jobs as early as this week, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The size of the job cuts could not be learned, the Journal said.

However, the scope of latest job reduction is far smaller than about 5,000 cuts announced last year, a person told the Journal.

The planned layoffs are consistent with small reductions in staff the company has done in the past, a person familiar with the matter told the paper.

The layoffs are expected to be dispersed throughout the company, the paper said.

Microsoft could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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