Sony has admitted that it going to have to cut 8000 jobs as the global downturn plays havoc with its sales.

The jobs are to go in the electronics division where the company is hoping to make Yen100 billion (£729 million) worth of savings.

Pointing to the “sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment”, the company is also planning on slicing its R&D budget and is also going to withdraw from “unprofitable or non-core businesses” – although it hasn’t detailed which areas this will affect.

In the imaging arena, Sony is going to outsource some of the manufacturing of CMOS sensors for mobile phones, but there was no news on whether its digital camera business is going to be affected.

The job cuts, which amount to 5% of the electronics division workforce, will be completed by early 2010.