Research in Motion said Monday that its Halifax operation will face layoffs.

The IT giant behind the BlackBerry has said it will cut its global workforce by 2,000 to make itself more competitive. That will be about 11 per cent of its workforce.

Employees based in North America will begin to receive their notices this week, while those in most other countries will be told at a later date, the company said.

RIM would not give an interview to CBC News, but a spokesman confirmed via email that Halifax will lose jobs.

"Although RIM is looking to achieve efficiencies across its global operations, the impact of the workforce reduction announced today is relatively small in Halifax," he wrote.

About 500 people work for the company at its Bedford offices.

The province of Nova Scotia has invested millions of dollars to attract Research in Motion to the Halifax Regional Municipality.