A Look At The Best Paying Jobs In Cannabis And Other Hiring Trends

Last week, Vangst released its 2019 Salary Guide, a complete overview of the growth of the cannabis industry over the past year. The report includes a guide to hiring competitively in the industry, a map of legalization, and hiring trends. Here some of the main highlights.

Hiring

The cannabis industry is in a phase of constant growth and companies are forced to invariably hire new people.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of a bad hire can equal 30% of that individual's annual earnings. Securing the right talent means developing a comprehensive vetting process, offering competitive compensation. Even more, work has to be done once the correct hire has taken place, in order to retain the talents on the company and generate higher employee engagement.

Map Of Legalization

Hiring Trends

Cannabis is projected to hit a job-creation rate of 110%. By 2021, the industry is expected to create 414,000 jobs in the U.S. Still, a big portion of jobs are on-demand talent or seasonal employees.

While cannabis remains federally prohibited, a lot of people like lawyers will still be reluctant to join the industry in fear of losing their licenses or similar dilemmas, generating difficulties for companies to hire top-talents on these fields.

Industry Trends

With constant financial growth and increasing public acceptance for both adult-use and medical purposes cannabis is becoming impossible to ignore. Some key industry trends:

13% of Americans identify as “current users”
CBD market is booming
Convenience of cannabis delivery and in-store pick-up are gaining popularity
66% of Americans support federal legalization
After vape-related illnesses were reported, flower consumption raised 25%

Jobs

Cultivation Technicians: Experienced

cultivation technicians that understand

plant science are in high demand for

businesses that value quality over quantity

Budtenders: they are the face of the business. However,

budtenders have one of the highest turnover

rates in cannabis

Director of Cultivation: Grow operations are looking

for educated and experienced

Directors of Cultivation to lead grows

ranging in size from a couple hundred

plants to hundreds of acres.

Trimmers: Machine trimmers haven’t taken

over every business just yet.

Brand Ambassadors: Demand for them is on the

rise as the market becomes oversaturated

with new products.

Sales Reps: everything is relying on sales

representatives to get their products in

front of millions of consumers.

Packagers: Packaging

automation is becoming more popular for

larger operations, but for now, packagers

are still necessary for many businesses.

Administrative and Corporate Roles: Established businesses are

hiring for traditional corporate roles like

COOs and CFOs and are building out

marketing and tech teams to compete

in today’s market.

Delivery Drivers: In states where cannabis

delivery is legal (or soon to

be legal), delivery driver opportunities

are in high demand.

Surveys

Future Of The Industry

Cannabis jobs, salaries and revenue are expected to rise in 2020. As legalization continues to expand across the U.S. and world, it’s essential for the industry to have access to valuable resources like the cannabis salary guide.

All images and charts by Vangst.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

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