Novell may lay off up to 300 at Provo facility, report says

The speculation that Novell Inc. will announce hundreds of layoffs soon continued Friday when Information Week reported that up to 300 employees would be laid off at the company's base in Waltham, Mass., and that Provo will lose at least that many.

Information Week cited a source close to the company in saying Novell will lay off about 1,000 workers. Reports have said SuSE Linux operations in Germany and consulting operations in Cambridge, Mass., and Europe also will be affected.

Reports dating back to last week have said Novell will cut 20 percent of its work force.

The company has about 5,800 workers, with about one-third of that total in Provo, its former headquarters location. Novell's policy is to decline comment on rumor and speculation.