Canva cuts 1,271 jobs globally in restructuring, offers six-month severance packages

Canva, the Australian graphic design platform valued at $26 billion, is cutting 1,271 roles — 22% of its global workforce — as CEO Melanie Perkins announced Wednesday in what she called the company's "most difficult moment" in 13 years. The restructuring reduces management layers and consolidates teams into centralised hubs, meaning some staff face role changes or relocation while others lose their jobs entirely.

Affected employees receive at least six months' salary, 12 months' healthcare coverage where applicable, and keep their company laptops. They can also apply for $10,000 (about ₦16.5 million) grants to launch their own ventures. Perkins didn't specify how many of the 1,271 cuts are redundancies versus relocations.

This adds Canva to a growing list of tech giants restructuring amid AI-driven market shifts. Atlassian cut 1,600 jobs, Block (Afterpay owner) and WiseTech Global also reduced headcounts. Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to 60,000 staff, while Oracle shed 21,000 roles over the past year with $1.8 billion in severance costs. Notably, Canva's announcement didn't explicitly cite AI as a driver.

For Nigerian tech professionals, this signals continuing volatility in global tech employment. Remote roles at international firms may shrink as companies centralise. The severance benchmarks — six months' pay, healthcare extension, startup grants — set a new reference point for what strong exit packages look like. If you're targeting global tech roles, prioritise AI-adjacent skills and monitor which hubs companies are consolidating into.

Will this wave of restructuring make you rethink pursuing international remote roles, or double down on building locally relevant AI expertise?

SOURCE: https://nairametrics.com/2026/11/04/canva-restructures-workforce-affecting-1271-employees-globally/