Canva cuts or changes 1,271 jobs, 22% of staff, as Melanie Perkins moves to 'refound' the company

Canva is making changes that affect 1,271 people, 22% of its staff, co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins told employees on Tuesday, The Verge reported. Some will move to new roles, some will be asked to relocate to central offices, and some will be laid off. The BBC reported the cuts under the words "our hardest year yet".

What Perkins said

"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."

She said small changes "won't be enough" and that Canva needs to "refound" itself around "small, empowered teams with the freedom to make decisions".

The changes

• One product organisation: the Product, Growth and Platform teams are being merged, with fewer management layers and overlapping jobs combined.
• Sydney first: the Australian city becomes the main home for more product teams and for roles where close collaboration matters.
• Back to the office: from January, most hybrid staff are expected in an office two to three days a week.
• For those leaving: at least six months' salary, twelve months of healthcare cover and career support.

The cuts come a day after website builder Squarespace announced layoffs affecting 19% of its staff.

What it means for Canva users in Pakistan

Canva is one of the most used tools among Pakistani freelancers, students, small shops and social media managers, for everything from Instagram posts to CVs and wedding cards. Nothing in Tuesday's announcement changes the product, plans or prices for users, and Canva did not announce any service changes. The restructuring is about how Canva's own teams are organised.

If you earn from Canva design work on Fiverr or Upwork, it is worth keeping your own templates and brand files exported, as with any single platform you depend on. Freelancers paid in dollars can check what they owe on that income with our freelancer tax calculator.

Part of a wider wave

Tech companies have been cutting jobs while spending heavily on AI. In the past week alone, Disney said it plans thousands of layoffs, and Squarespace cut nearly a fifth of its workforce.