Getting laid off may be getting a little less painful.
Canva said this week that the more than 1,200 employees it’s letting go will receive exit packages that extend beyond corporate norms.
In addition to severance and extended healthcare coverage, they’ll get above-average job-search support as they enter a challenging market. The offer includes one-on-one interview prep, a year of LinkedIn Premium, access to an employee-alumni directory for networking, and the option to apply for $10,000 grants for those who want to “start something of their own.”
While offering access to some career resources is not unusual, the design software company and a handful of other employers are going the extra mile to help laid-off employees start the next chapter of their careers. HR and outplacement advisors say that offering substantial job-search resources can soften the blow of a pink slip, limit public backlash, and reassure staffers who remain.
Canva follows a trend of employers providing more robust career support, said Greg Simpson, global practice leader for career transition and mobility at LHH, a talent solutions and advisory services firm.
“It does not surprise us to see an offer that’s like this,” Simpson said.
What companies are offering
Last year, after announcing over 13,000 job cuts, Verizon established a $20 million reskilling and career transition fund that covers the cost of more than 30,000 courses and 80 professional certificate programs aligned with “in-demand skills.”
Chevron, which announced plans to cut up to 20% of its workforce by the end of this year, said on its website it will offer an educational assistance program for laid-off employees, reimbursing up to 75% of the cost of qualifying coursework to help workers prepare for their next opportunity.
Part of the emphasis on reskilling may be due to layoffs becoming commonplace in the AI era, leading companies to feel a greater sense of responsibility to departing workers, Simpson said.
In a 2026 LHH report, 87% of HR leaders said their organizations have recently made layoffs or plan to do so in the next year, and over 75% said layoffs are now ongoing.
The report also found that about 58% of the 418,000 laid-off workers the firm supported moved into an entirely new career in 2025, a level that has held steady since 2022.
As AI changes the skills workers need, many leaders are also thinking more about career-transition support as part of their workforce strategy. Others are offering workers voluntary buyouts that are more lucrative than severance packages.
A more positive exit
Some employers may be beefing up this kind of support partly to bolster staff morale. It “helps preserve a more positive work culture for those who survive the cuts,” said Pav Stojkovic, former chief people officer at the sports publication The Athletic, the biotech startup Omeat, and other companies.
The move can also help employers blunt social media criticism from laid-off employees, said Matthew Whol, a former executive recruiter and career coach who now runs an outplacement platform.
“It’s becoming a real negative on their business,” he said, adding that companies can turn former workers into powerful advocates — or critics — depending on how they handle their exit.
“I jokingly tell people that your best customer or your best marketer is the person who doesn’t work for you anymore.”
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