Canva Cuts 1,271 Jobs in First-Ever Restructuring

What Canva Announced

Canva, the Australian graphic design platform, announced on 4 November 2026 that it would carry out its first major restructuring in its 13-year history. According to Mint, the overhaul will affect 1,271 employees — equivalent to 22% of the company's total workforce — through a combination of role changes, team relocations to centralised hubs and departures. CEO Melanie Perkins communicated the decision directly to staff by email on the same day.

The company has not specified how many of the 1,271 affected employees will lose their jobs outright, as opposed to being reassigned or asked to relocate.

The Severance Package

For employees who do leave, Canva has outlined a broad support package, the report says. Key elements include:

• A minimum of six months' salary, inclusive of statutory entitlements, regardless of the employee's location
• Continued healthcare benefits for 12 months in countries where Canva currently provides that benefit
• Access to Canva Care, the company's employee assistance programme, for departing employees and their family members for one year
• Permission to keep their company-issued Apple MacBook laptops
• A one-year LinkedIn Premium subscription to support job searching
• Personalised career coaching sessions
• The option to join a Canva alumni talent directory that the company says it will share with investors, business partners and industry contacts

Canva will also waive the standard one-year vesting cliff — the minimum period before equity begins to transfer — for employees who joined within the last 12 months, the report adds.

The Canva Collective Fund

In an additional measure, Canva announced the creation of the Canva Collective Fund. Under this programme, departing employees who wish to start their own businesses can apply for grants of US$10,000 (approximately 835,000 Indian rupees at current rates). Mint reports that Canva has stated it will not seek any equity or ownership stake in ventures funded through these grants.

Why It Matters for Job Seekers

This restructuring is one of the largest announced by a major design-technology company in recent memory and signals broader shifts in how global tech firms are reassessing workforce composition and location.

• If you work in a global tech or design company, consider reviewing your employment contract's vesting schedule and severance terms, as companies increasingly vary these by location and tenure.
• If you are currently job seeking in the tech sector, the Canva alumni talent directory model shows that employer networks and referrals remain a significant route to new roles after layoffs.
• If you are considering entrepreneurship after a redundancy, the Canva Collective Fund illustrates that some employers are offering grant-based support — worth checking whether your employer has similar programmes.
• If you are relocating for work, note that centralisation of teams to specific hubs is a growing trend at global tech firms, which can affect remote and distributed workers.

Audience note: This story affects technology and design professionals worldwide, particularly those employed at or applying to global product companies with distributed teams.