The good news for Motorola is that Google (GOOG) has plans for it other than selling it off for parts. The bad news is that these plans entail even more layoffs. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has started laying off another 1,200 employees from its Motorola Mobility unit, or 10% of its current workforce, in an effort to slash costs and become profitable again. Google explained in an email sent to employees this week that the unit’s “costs are too high, we’re operating in markets where we’re not competitive and we’re losing money,” all of which seem like legitimate reasons to reduce staff. The latest round of layoffs at Motorola comes after Google laid off 20% of Motorola’s workforce last summer, thus bringing the total number of layoffs over the past year to 5,200.

Prior to joining BGR as News Editor, Brad Reed spent five years covering the wireless industry for Network World. His first smartphone was a BlackBerry but he has since become a loyal Android user.