Canva restructure to affect 1,271 staff, 22% of its global workforce

Australian-founded design platform Canva is cutting or relocating more than 1,200 jobs, representing 22% of its global workforce, as part of a major restructure. According to the company, the changes will affect 1,271 people in total.

Canva chief executive Melanie Perkins described the restructure in an email to staff on Wednesday as “without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history”.

“For some people, this will mean changes to their roles or being asked to relocate to centralised hubs,” Perkins wrote. “Sadly, it will also mean saying goodbye to teammates and friends who have helped build Canva into what it is today.”

The company said the restructure focuses on “collapsing layers” and bringing “more teams together in person”.

Perkins said relocating is a big decision for those asked to consider it and that the company is committed to making the process as smooth as possible with comprehensive support. She did not specify the exact number of job losses.

Staff leaving Canva will receive at least six months of salary and will retain healthcare coverage for a further 12 months in countries where workers receive that benefit. They can also keep their laptops.

Those leaving can also apply for grants of US$10,000 (A$14,000) to start their own ventures.

The graphic design company is one of Australia’s most successful startups and has long been touted as a candidate for a blockbuster listing on the Nasdaq.

The move adds to a wave of restructures across the technology sector, which has included 1,600 redundancies at software company Atlassian and job losses at Afterpay’s owner, Block, and at WiseTech Global, another software company.

Software companies are fighting to stay competitive against cheaper artificial intelligence disrupters while aggressively embedding AI tools themselves.

Unlike Atlassian, Block and WiseTech, however, Canva did not mention AI in its restructure announcement.