WASHINGTON - SOCIAL network giant MySpace, which has been facing stiff competition from rival Facebook, announced a second wave of deep job cuts on Tuesday.

MySpace, exactly a week after slashing its domestic staff by nearly 30 per cent, said it was reducing its international staff from 450 employees to approximately 150 employees.

The social network purchased by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in 2005 for US$580 million (S$843 million) said the restructuring would result in the closure of at least four of its offices outside the United States.

It said all existing offices in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Sweden and Spain were being placed under review for possible restructuring.

MySpace said that London, Berlin, and Sydney would become the primary regional hubs for its international operations.

Locally owned and operated MySpace China and MySpace's joint venture in Japan would not be affected by the proposed plan, the company said.

'With roughly half of MySpace's total user base coming from outside the US, maintaining productive and efficient operations in our international markets is important to users worldwide and our immediate financial strength,' MySpace chief executive Owen Van Natta said in a statement.

'As we conducted our review of the company, it was clear that internationally, just as in the US, MySpace's staffing had become too big and cumbersome to be sustainable in current market conditions,' he said.

'Today's proposed changes are designed to transform and refine our international growth strategy,' Mr Van Natta said.

MySpace's announcement that it was shedding two-thirds of its international staff came one week after it announced it was cutting 420 jobs in the United States, nearly 30 per cent of its domestic staff. -- AFP