eBay has quantified the layoffs we've been writing about, saying the online auction company's upcoming restructuring will "impact fewer than 60 positions," in the words of a spokesman, with details provided internally within the week.

Sixty jobs is less than one half of one percent of eBay's 15,000 worldwide employees, in line with the company's earlier statement that internal rumors of a five percent reduction were "not even close" to what was planned. Without commenting on chatter that the axe will fall Thursday, eBay said it plans to provide details to employees within a week, meeting a commitment it made to them on Sept. 21 to outline restructuring plans within 30 days.

Spokesman John Pluhowski wouldn't get into whether the layoffs would be focused on the executive suite vs. rank and file, but did say they would fall "principally" within the product and technology areas. The restructuring, he added, is intended to "help improve our customer experience, build a global product team and speed up innovation." In other words, further details are still to come.

(Pic: by Chong Fong Liew)