Google's Motorola Mobility, is said to cut 20 percent of its workforce and shut nearly a third of its offices worldwide, a spokeswoman for parent company Google said on Monday.

"Motorola is committed to helping them (the employees) through this difficult transition and will be providing generous severance packages, as well as outplacement services to help people find new jobs," the Google spokeswoman said to Reuters.

Google agreed to buy Motorola Mobility last year, aiming to use Motorola Mobility's patents to fend off legal attacks on its Android mobile platform and expand beyond its software business.

One-third of the jobs lost will be in the United States, but the company has not specified where or what facilities would be affected.

Earlier the New York Times reported Google's plan and said it was looking to shrink operations in Asia and India, by not just exiting unprofitable markets but also stopping making low-end devices and focusing on a few cellphones instead of dozens.