Forbes reports that Motorola will lay off 3,000 workers as the vendor attempts to return to profitability. In its Q3 results yesterday – in which the company posted a net loss of US$397 million for the July-September period  – co-CEO Greg Brown said the company is “implementing further cost reductions” that aim to reap annual savings of US$800 million in 2009. However, Brown did not at the time specify the extent of the cuts.

The company expects to report earnings from continuing operations in the range of US$0.02-0.04 per share in the fourth quarter of 2008 and full-year earnings per share in the range of US$0.05-0.07. Of its three business sectors, its Mobile Device divison has fared the worse in recent years. Plans for a spin-off of the division have been postponed, and the company is now attempting to simplify its handset portfolio to focus on operating systems from Google and Microsoft.