Canva to lay off roughly 22% of its workforce after slower growth

what happened

According to Reuters, Sydney-based Canva Group said on Wednesday that it will remove 1,271 positions, or about 22% of its personnel. The move follows a slowdown in the company's expansion, the first in ten years.

Co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins said the changes will reshape the company's internal structure, where its teams are based and how many staff it needs. Product, growth and platform groups are being merged into one product organisation, and management layers are being cut. Sydney will become the main hub for more product teams, and some employees will be asked to move. From January, most hybrid staff will need to be in the office two to three days a week. Departing employees will receive grants of $10,000.

Tech layoffs are continuing across the sector. In March, Atlassian cut 1,600 jobs to redirect money toward AI and enterprise sales, and in February WiseTech Global dropped almost a third of its global headcount as part of a two-year overhaul.

why it matters

Canva is privately held, so there is no share price to react, and the direct market impact is limited. The broader signal matters more: tech firms are shifting spending toward AI and enterprise sales. That is relevant for listed software companies such as Atlassian and WiseTech Global, where investors watch cost discipline closely.

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