Canva is restructuring its workforce, with 1,271 employees, representing approximately 22% of its workforce, set to be affected as the design platform responds to slower growth and changes in its organisational structure.
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Melanie Perkins announced the changes in an internal message to employees on November 4. She described the decision as one of the most difficult moments in the company’s 13-year history.
The restructuring will involve job cuts, changes to certain roles and the relocation of some employees to centralised hubs. The company is also planning changes to how its teams are organised and how responsibilities are distributed.
Perkins said Canva’s growth had slowed for the first time in a decade and that smaller adjustments were no longer sufficient to address the challenges facing the business. She described the current period as the company’s hardest year yet.
The slowdown had already been reflected in the company’s financial outlook. In August, Canva lowered its 2026 revenue growth forecast from 30% to 20%.
As part of the restructuring, Canva plans to bring its Product, Growth and Platform teams together under a single Product organisation. The move is intended to reduce handovers between teams, improve coordination and give employees greater ownership of projects.
The company also plans to reduce specialised roles and management layers by combining narrower areas of responsibility into broader roles. This is expected to simplify its organisational structure and allow teams to manage projects from beginning to end.
Canva is also changing the location strategy for some teams. Sydney will become the primary base for more product teams and certain other roles. Some employees may be asked to relocate, with support provided for those affected.
The company also plans to ask most hybrid employees to work from the office for around two to three days a week from January, depending on their location and role.
The changes mark Canva’s first major restructuring in its 13-year history as it seeks to simplify operations, reorganise teams and respond to slower growth.
