Canva to restructure workforce, affecting 1,271 employees globally

The restructuring will involve consolidating teams, reducing organisational layers, and relocating some functions.

Canva is making significant changes to its organisational structure and workforce, with 1,271 people – representing 22% of its workforce – set to be impacted.

In an internal message to employees, Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder and CEO of the Australian design platform said the changes will involve revisions to its team structures, operating locations, and the roles and skills required to support its future direction.

For some employees, this will mean changes to their existing roles or relocation to centralised hubs.

Perkins wrote: "This is without doubt the hardest moment in our 13-year history. Behind every decision is someone we care deeply about, and I know the consequences will be very real for those directly affected, their families, friends, and teammates."

The changes come amid a period of slower growth for Canva, with Perkins noting growth had slowed for the first time in a decade, making the past year its most challenging to date

In her message, Perkins also attributed the organisational changes to shifts in technology, particularly how people create content and interact with digital products.

After 13 years of growth, during which its platform has expanded to serve hundreds of millions of people, she said the company needs to revisit its organisational structure to prepare for its next phase. Various alternatives were considered before the company concluded that smaller adjustments would not be sufficient, Perkins added.

Instead, it plans to return to a structure centred on smaller, empowered teams with greater autonomy, ownership, and decision-making capabilities.

The changes to be made

According to Perkins, the company is making three changes "to bring more of what has made Canva special back into how we work."

#1: Bringing teams together under one Product organisation

The company will bring its Product, Growth, and Platform functions together under a single Product organisation.

Previously, these functions operated across separate team structures, which Perkins said had created additional handovers and coordination requirements when developing and improving its products.

The new structure is intended to establish clearer ownership, greater autonomy, and more flexibility in addressing organisational priorities.

#2: Reducing subspecialisation and organisational layers

Canva will consolidate narrower areas of specialisation into broader roles, with the aim of giving teams greater ownership of projects and goals from start to finish.

It will also simplify management layers, consolidate overlapping responsibilities, and review the combination of skills and experience required across teams.

#3: Bringing closely connected teams together in person

The company will increase in-person collaboration and co-locate teams whose work requires closer coordination. "Working across countries has brought enormous benefits and talent, but it’s also made it harder to bring the right people together to solve complex problems", Perkins said.

While the company will continue investing in its global workforce, Sydney will become the primary location for more of its product teams, alongside selected roles in other specialist functions.

Employees asked to consider relocating will receive support throughout the process.

Separately, from January 2027, most employees working under its hybrid arrangement are expected to spend approximately two to three days in the office each week, depending on local circumstances.

Support for employees who are leaving

Perkins outlined a range of financial, career, and wellbeing support measures for employees leaving as part of the changes:

• Salary support: At least six months' salary for everyone affected, inclusive of statutory entitlements, regardless of location.
• Equity vesting: Removal of the one-year vesting cliff for employees who joined within the past year.
• Healthcare coverage: An additional 12 months of healthcare coverage in countries where the company currently provides this benefit.
• Employee assistance: 12 months of continued access to Canva Care, its employee assistance programme, with coverage extended to family members.
• Career transition support: One-to-one coaching, interview preparation and one year of LinkedIn Premium. Canva will also dedicate part of its Talent Acquisition team to helping departing employees review their CVs and prepare for interviews.
• Alumni talent directory: An opt-in directory of departing employees that will be shared with Canva's investors, partners and wider industry network to help connect them with potential employment opportunities.
• Company devices: Employees leaving the organisation will be allowed to keep their Canva MacBooks.

Perkins shared: We’re also launching the Canva Collective Fund, providing US$10,000 grants to departing Canvanauts who want to start something of their own.

"Whether it’s starting a business or doing something meaningful for their local community, the fund is designed to help get those ideas off the ground."

Everyone leaving as part of these changes will have until 14 December to register their interest, and the company will not take any ownership or equity in what they create.

What comes next

The immediate priority, Perkins said, is to hold individual discussions with employees directly affected by the changes. Those impacted will receive invitations to meet with a senior leader from their respective areas to discuss the next steps and available support.

As the company operates across 37 countries, the timing and process of these conversations will vary according to local requirements. In the meantime, employees leaving the organisation will retain access to Slack and Gmail until the end of the week, allowing them to communicate their departure with colleagues on their own terms.

Canva's organisational leads are also expected to share further details about the changes across their respective teams by the end of the week.

The company has also scheduled a company-wide meeting for 10 November 2026 to address employees' questions and discuss its plans ahead. Meetings at the organisational level will follow from 11 November.

Canva is currently present in markets across the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific.

Image / Canva Facebook