Update: Microsoft says it will lay off 800 people today.

Earlier: When a slew of conference rooms suddenly became reserved for November 4, Microsoft (MSFT) employees knew more layoffs were coming.

 

Now TechFlash reports the rumors were true, citing "unofficial but reliable sources."

TechFlash says rumors started after "widespread reservations of conference rooms [for] Nov. 4, similar to the way they were reserved before previous layoffs."

Microsoft began its first ever layoffs in January 2009. More came at the end of Spring. The goal was to cut 5,000, but TechFlash says the number is higher now, due to "the realities of the new economy."

TechFlash: Reorganizations are common inside the company. In the past, people who lost their jobs as part of those changes were often able to find other positions inside the company.

This time around, there aren't enough of those open jobs available. While Microsoft has continued to hire in some areas, cushioning the effect of the job cuts, the company isn't expanding at nearly the rate that it has in the past. That means there are fewer open positions for employees cut loose by reorganizations, which appears to be the major factor contributing to the additional job cuts.