Canva Job Cuts: 1,271 Roles Hit as Perth-Founded Design Giant Restructures

Canva job cuts will touch 1,271 roles, or 22% of the design company, under a restructure announced by Perth-born chief executive Melanie Perkins this week. Some staff will leave, some will change roles and some will be asked to move to central hubs. Canva has a co-working hub in Perth and is still advertising a Perth role.

What did Canva announce?

Canva published a letter from Perkins to staff on its newsroom. It says: "This means 1,271 people, or 22% of Canva, will be impacted." HCAMag reported that staff were told on Wednesday 4 November, and called it the first redundancy round in Canva's 13-year history.

The letter says Canva's growth "has slowed for the first time in a decade". It merges the Product, Growth and Platform groups into one product organisation. It also cuts management layers and folds narrow specialist roles into broader ones. Teams that work closely will be placed together.

From January, most hybrid staff are expected in the office 2 to 3 days a week.

Is AI behind the Canva job cuts?

The letter does not name AI as the cause. It says new technology is changing what people create, how they create it and what they expect from products. Forbes Australia reported that serving AI features to mostly non-paying users had been costly for Canva. It also reported that Canva cut its projected revenue growth from 30% to 20%.

Does Canva employ people in Perth?

Yes, though Canva has not said how many. Its Australian careers page lists campuses in Sydney and Melbourne and co-working hubs in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. It says over half of all Canva staff worldwide are in Australia. On 6 November its jobs board listed an Enterprise Security Manager role in Perth.

The letter doesn't break down the 1,271 roles by country or city. It says some people will be "asked to relocate to centralised hubs" and that Sydney will become the primary home for more product teams. It does not say whether the Perth hub is affected.

Canva's WA roots run deep. Perkins was born in Perth and studied at the University of Western Australia. She left at 19 to start a business with co-founder Cliff Obrecht. The founders later moved from Perth to Sydney to recruit technical talent.

What support will departing staff get?

The letter says everyone leaving will get at least six months' salary, including statutory entitlements, regardless of location. Other support includes:

• 12 months of healthcare continuation where it is currently provided.
• 12 months of the company's employee assistance program, extended to family members.
• Career coaching, interview preparation and a year of LinkedIn Premium.
• A US$10,000 grant for leavers starting their own venture, with no equity taken. Interest must be registered by 14 December.

What it means for Perth job seekers

Affected Perth tech and design workers face a small local market, mostly outside software companies. On 6 November our feed showed:

• 37 live IT ads in Perth. Of the 36 newest, Health Support Services and the Department of Housing and Works posted 4 each. Rio Tinto, Fortescue and Water Corporation posted 2 each. Ten were fixed-term or contract roles.
• 6 live creative and design ads, including graphic designer roles at WA Country Health Service and Kings Park's Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.
• 19 live marketing ads in Perth, with UWA, Water Corporation and the Department of Communities among the employers.

Of the 36 newest IT ads, 12 close within seven days. A UWA helpdesk role advertised $69,666 to $77,167. Senior analyst roles at the Department of Treasury and Finance and the Department of Housing and Works advertised $124,673 to $137,399. For more on how AI is changing WA hiring, see our report on ABS data on AI and WA job vacancies.

How we reported this

• The 1,271 figure, the 22% share, the restructure details and the support package come from Melanie Perkins' letter published on Canva's newsroom in the week of 4 November 2026.
• Canva's Perth hub and Perth job listing come from its careers site, checked on 6 November 2026.
• The AI cost and revenue growth forecast figures are Forbes Australia's reporting. The announcement date is HCAMag's reporting.
• Jobs In Perth figures are live direct-from-employer ads in our feed, observed on 6 November 2026. Recruitment agency and aggregator ads are not included. These are advertised vacancies, not people employed.
• Cover image: AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the event.

Sources

• Canva Newsroom: Canva team update, letter from Melanie Perkins (November 2026)
• Life at Canva: Australia locations
• Life at Canva: jobs in Perth (viewed 6 November 2026)
• Forbes Australia: Canva announces mass job cuts in first ever major restructure (4 November 2026)
• HCAMag: Canva job cuts affect 1,271 roles in first redundancy round
• Wikipedia: Melanie Perkins