New York  - US computer firm IBM plans to lay off 5,000 workers in its service area in the United States, and outsource the majority of them to India, the US business daily Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing an insider.

At year's end IBM employed around 400,000 people worldwide, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the company had laid off around 4,600 workers in areas of software, sales and semiconductors at the start of the 2009.

The job slashes come amid further efforts by IBM to cut costs in a company which otherwise has so far managed to buck the economic crisis and shows strong profits. At the end of 2008 the company reported an unexpected rise in earnings and for 2009 it projected record results.

Wall Street Journal said the planned layoffs also come as meanwhile IBM is preparing a takeover of its US rival, Sun Microsystem, for up to 8 billion dollars.